Persephone's Crown
by The Creatress
Summary: Holly is stripped of her power and exiled from Haven after the Council blames her for the Artemis Fowl incident. Powerless, Holly finds herself trying to rebuild her life from inside Fowl Manor. Eventual AH. Rating may go up later for adult themes.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

xXxXxXxXx

Author's Note:

This hit in the middle of the night from nowhere and I just HAD to share it with you. More info in the ending author's note.

Luv

Creatress

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Persephone's Crown

Chapter 1 – After the Trial

Holly had expected it to hurt. It didn't hurt; her panic only eroded into fatigue, and then exhausted sleep. It left her with a feeling of emptiness when she woke up. _That makes sense_, she decided, her eyes unmoving, yet taking in the plain gray walls of the small cell she lay in.

The concrete melted in with everything; she couldn't make out the metal door. There were no windows, and the only light came from a weak bulb on the low ceiling. There was nothing in the room except for the threadbare mattress and the bulb. The world seemed to have disappeared and the only thing that existed was this cell. She was surprised that her claustrophobia wasn't stressing her; maybe Ursula had removed that along with her magic.

Holly wanted to move, to touch her ears to see if they were still pointy. To scratch a finger to see if, maybe, just _maybe_, she still had an ounce of magic left. But she couldn't. She couldn't find the will to do it. She couldn't.

xXxXxXx

Every day for the past month, Foaly went out of his way every morning to go down to the entrance of the solitary confinement unit. He couldn't go any further; the guards knew he had no reason to.

For the past month, Foaly desperately wished he could, though, if just to get a mere glance of Holly. But after what had happened last night, he found that today, for the first time in the last four weeks, he didn't _want_ to face Holly. He _couldn't_ face her. How could he – how could _anyone_ – stand before her, knowing that they'd so cruelly failed her?

Foaly barely glanced at the two fairies guarding the heavy metal door that led into the solitary confinement cells. He had no idea what Holly would be doing in her dark, cramped cell. Guilt and sorrow gnawed relentlessly at him. She didn't belong in there.

On the way down, Foaly had crossed Root's path. The same guilt that consumed Foaly was probably attacking the commander with twice the vengeance. Root's eyes had been bloodshot, with tire and grief, and neither of them had bothered making any comments. Foaly had watched Holly's trial, where Root had been questioned and then later informed of Holly's punishment. They were both reliving it, wondering where they'd gone wrong and how they might have saved her.

Foaly remembered watching the court from the OP Booth, thanks to a hidden camera in the ceiling. The Council sat at one end of the room, most of its members having already judged and sentenced Holly. Root stood alone before them, in the witness stand, prepared to do anything to defend his captain. It had been spiteful; and Holly hadn't even been allowed at her own trial.

xXx

The head of the Council, Benjamin Leymus, had not tried hard to hide his contempt for the Commander. The man was obviously sexist and vindictive, hoping to extinguish the hope of there ever being a woman in Recon and desperate to punish Holly for daring think she can change centuries-old tradition. "The first ever female in Recon," Leymus started, sneering. "Look at what's happened!"

Every other Council member had echoed Leymus' sentiments; it was only Vinyaya who kept her sad eyes on the book in front of her.

"What happened to Holly," Root had said, struggling to keep his voice even. "Could just as well have happened to any male."

"It doesn't matter." The female fairy who had spoken was one of the oldest fairies alive. Raceme was aged and weathered, her face and skin lined with heavy wrinkles, but her voice was strong. "It does not matter that she was a female or a male. It doesn't change what has transpired."

Root had been able to respond to that; she was right. Leymus took his opportunity to pounce. "Exactly!" he had shrieked. "Because of her startling amount of irresponsibility, look what has happened! One does not go to work for Recon without his magic! And after everything, _everything_, she stood in the way of the bio bomb. We should have just blasted the thing with her inside the Fowl Manor! One incompetent officer was not worth everything we faced!"

"Captain Short is far from incompetent!" Root had snapped. "She did what was right."

"Your definition of right is a far cry from ours! From the People's!" Leymus had roared. He snatched a piece of paper from the table in front of his and waved it vehemently. "She went to work without her magic. After being captured by the human, she told him everything about the People!"

"Under sodium pentothal!" Root interrupted. "She had no choice! She does not even have a memory of - "

"Irrelevant!" Leymus yelled. "If it hadn't been for her first mistake, she would never have revealed anything to him! Do you realize what has happened?! _There are humans who know of our existence!_"

Root was, once again, silenced.

Raceme spoke again then. "We were prepared to biobomb the manor, and the second she asked you not to, she turned her back on the People." She held up a hand to silence the commander when he tensed. "We the People try to preserve life, but the cost this time was too high."

"Half a ton of gold!" Leymus spoke again. "Not to mention how much the rescue attempt cost us! Half a ton!"

Root scowled. "She got half of it back!"

"She could have gotten every ingot back!" Leymus retorted. "To cure his mother! He would have given up anything to keep the authorities from running in on stallions to bloody 'save' him! Argon said so!"

"Argon says a lot of things," Root stated.

"Short could have demanded that Fowl hand over all the gold and submit to a mindwipe before she cured his mother!" Leymus shouted. "But she didn't!" He suddenly felt silent for a second, and leaned back in his large throne-like chair. "It makes you wonder," he said, quietly.

It took Root a second to see where Leymus was going. Then his face flushed. "Don't you dare accuse my captain of working with the mud boy!" he said, his voice dangerously quiet.

"Stop," Raceme suddenly said. She fixed her dark eyes on Root. "Commander, there is no way to save your captain. What's done is done, and she must be punished for what she has inflicted upon the people."

Root gulped. He saw his dreams for Holly diminishing before his eyes. The girl was like a child to him, and her future in the police force being destroyed left him feeling so hollow and saddened. "Will she be removed from the LEP?"

Leymus snorted loudly, but said nothing.

Raceme spoke, her voice as strong, hard and unyielding as it was before. "She will be removed from the People altogether. Exile."

Root reacted differently than how the Council had imagined. They had expected a full tirade of insults; a last desperate attempt to save his captain. But Root had only frozen to the spot; his eyes and expression unreadable. It was like he hadn't even heard Raceme. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"That's not all. She will also give up her power and her knowledge of the people," Raceme continued. She plowed on ahead, in case Root finally reacted. "Investigation shows that Fowl first got his information from an exiled pixie. We cannot take a chance of having any more of them above ground. A new law has been passed; any fairy who has such a connection to mud men will be exiled and give up _anything_ that has to do with the People." She paused, looking into Root's eyes. "We have called the Sorceress Ursula to remove her power tonight. Tomorrow morning, she will be mindwiped of the People's existence and set above ground. That is the last the People will have to do with Holly Short."

xXx

Foaly swallowed a lump in his throat. Ursula had taken Holly's powers last night, and later this morning, Holly will be mindwiped. She will be left alone in the middle of Dublin, void of any memories – no name, no identity. Best case scenario: The police find her, she gets diagnosed with amnesia and is taken care of by the authorities. The worst case scenario… Foaly shuddered. He didn't want to think of the worst that could happen to a meter-high girl with no memories in the middle of a city.

Suddenly feeling sick, Foaly turned from the door and started walking back to the OP Booth. He glanced at his watch. Half an hour. Holly had half an hour with her memories before they would be ripped from her. Before her identity would be taken from her. There were thirty minutes until Holly Short ceased to exist.

"Howler's Peak this time, Mulch, there's no doubt about it!"

Foaly stopped short and turned around.

"Haven't we heard that before?" Mulch's voice was lazy and sarcastic as the LEP cop led him to his cell.

"Get in there!" the cop snapped, pushing Mulch in. He closed the cell door with a loud bang and locked in with his card. All the doors worked on electronic locks and passwords; Foaly had installed them himself.

Mulch leaned against the bars, irritating the cop with his apparent inertia at getting caught. He even winked at the officer as the fairy walked away.

As soon as the cop was gone, Mulch started looking around, trying to figure out a way out. His eyes accordingly met those of Foaly. "Centaur!" he exclaimed, slipping back into his cool persona. He frowned looking Foaly over. "You've looked better before."

Foaly didn't answer. As soon as he'd seen the dwarf, a plan started forming in his mind. It was seemingly, _deceivingly_, simple – all the pieces fell into place in his mind like a child's jigsaw puzzle. But his rational side knew better; it was a plan so wild, so crazy, it could never work. All that could happen was that Mulch would get an even harsh punishment than he'd already get and Foaly himself would lose his job and earn a jail term. Foaly gulped and starting making his way over to Mulch's cell. But Holly could escape. It was her last chance.

"We have thirty minutes to do this," Foaly said to Mulch.

xXx

A mere two minutes later, Foaly was in the OP Booth, his hands and hoofs shaking as they whipped across his keyboards. He couldn't believe that he was about to do this. His mouth was so dry, he didn't know how he would complete this phase of the plan right. He selected a call icon of the screen, and a ringing filled the OP Booth.

'Hurry, hurry, hurry…' Foaly prayed. 'Pick up the damn - '

"Hello?" the voice was vaguely familiar. It was deep, but almost quiet, in all its strength.

Foaly steeled himself, all the while praying that everything would be fine. "Is this Domovoi Butler?"

"Yes. Who is this?"

"Are you alone right now, Mr. Butler?" Foaly asked.

There was a pause. "It _is_ about 6:30 in the morning," came the reply. It wasn't a direct answer.

"I have to discuss something private with you, Butler," Foaly said, hoping that Fowl wasn't up. It was impossible to make assumption with him.

"Who is this?" Butler asked again.

"About one month ago, your master kidnapped a fairy named Holly Short," Foaly said, ignoring the question. "During her captivity, she saved your life and the life of your sister when you were attacked by the troll."

"Who is this?" Butler's voice was lined with tense impatience now.

"This is a friend of Holly's," Foaly replied. "I need you to help save Holly's life now. This can be your opportunity to repay her."

Butler didn't answer right away. "What happened to Captain Short?"

"The Council has blamed her for everything that happened a month ago," Foaly responded. "Her punishment is… It's unforgivable. I can honestly tell you that Captain Short will disappear from the world in less than thirty minutes if you don't help me save her."

There was a sound of rustling in the background. "What do you need me to do?"

xXx

Foaly rushed down to Mulch's cage, a body bag and a cam foil concealing a Neutrino under one arm and his card clutched in his hand. "Hurry, we don't have much time now," he said, opening Mulch's cell door.

Mulch got out, all signs of sarcasm and smugness gone. "So the mud man agreed, huh," he said as he fell into step with Foaly.

Foaly grabbed Mulch's hand. "He is a good person, as hard as it is to believe," he said. They reached the door to solitary confinement. "Out of the way, I have to lock Mulch up," he said to the guard.

"Mulch?" the guard asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

"I don't have time to explain! Get out of my way!" Foaly snapped, stomping a hoof threateningly.

The guard, thoroughly confused now, stepped out of the way and let Foaly unlock the door. Mulch had escaped the LEP numerous times before. They probably weren't taking any chances with him now.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Foaly and Mulch burst into a sprint. Holly was being held at the very back, as if she had intentionally committed a series of murders.

"Here," Foaly said, tossing the cam foil and the bag and Neutrino to Mulch. He got out his card and started working on Holly's cell door. "Now the hard part," he said, throwing the door open.

Holly hadn't seen light or person during the last month. She'd been lying on the mattress on the ground, staring blankly up at the ceiling and the sudden movement and noise caught her off guard. Unarmed and powerless, she shot up and moved back against the wall, flinching against them.

Foaly and Mulch were both hit with a ton of bricks when they saw her. They'd expected the worst – fairies who were stolen of their magic could be left with a wide range of symptoms. They were irresponsive, physically ill, feral even… This wasn't the Holly they were used to – her skin was paler. Her hair had grown a few inches during the last month, but it was dirty and scraggly. Her eyes were dull and blank.

Foaly lowered himself to his front knees before her as he pulled out a small white pill. He spared a moment to search her emotionless, unrecognizing eyes. "Holly? Please swallow this."

Holly only glanced at Mulch, who was on his knees, struggling to set up the body bag and the Neutrino.

"Holly, we're your friends," Foaly said, drawing her attention back to him. "We're here to help. Just swallow this, _please_."

After what seemed like eternity, Holly finally reached out and took the pill from Foaly. In one movement, she swallowed the pill before turning to Mulch again, looking at him with an expression of the vaguest curiosity.

Mulch zipped the bag open and looked up at her, smiling sadly. He watched as the pill began to take effect; Holly's eyes widened a little and she swayed as the sleeping pill starting working. "I beseech thee forgive me for this, m'lady," he quoted as she finally fell.

Together, Mulch and Foaly gathered her up and transferred her to the bag. Foaly picked up the bag, carrying her the way he'd carry a child. Mulch took the Neutrino and the cam foil. They shared a glance before leaving the cell – _now_ was the hard part.

xXxXxXx

As he drove at over 200 mph to get to Tara, Butler tried not to think about his boss' reaction later. It would be an understatement to say that Artemis would be less than pleased when he would find out. But what other choice did he have?

After his call from Foaly, Butler had woken up Juliet and told her to stand guard before leaving. He hadn't answered any of her questions and shot down her suggestion to wake anyone else up. As he'd passed Artemis' door, he suddenly got the feeling that somehow, no matter how improbable it seemed, Artemis Fowl was already awake and knew what was happening.

It was raining torrents and the gray skies made the early morning look like the middle of the night. Butler screeched to a halt at the side of the road and then shot out of the car, throwing his hood up as he sprinted into the sacred land of Tara. His gun dug into his hip as he ran, but he drew comfort from it rather than being annoyed. He knew the fairies couldn't attack him because the event was done and over last month, but one couldn't be too careful… And the bottom line was that he owed Holly Short. He owed her his life and his sister's.

Butler stopped at the spot Foaly had told him and glanced at his waterproof electric watch. 6:53AM. The centaur had been uncertain of what time they'd come up, and that made Butler uneasy. He liked plans where the timing was set down to the second; acting on chances gave him nerves.

Sudden a small explosion lit the trees in a brilliant white light. Butler turned toward it, raising an arm to shield himself from the light. It was only there for a second however, before it was gone, leaving nothing but the darkness and the rain. But Butler's sixth sense acted up again. A second later, he saw that he was right.

A small figure walked out from the darkness, holding something in its arms. The little man was covered with dirt and hair, and even in the darkness, Butler made out the silvery metallic material of the bag he carried. "Butler?" the man asked.

Butler recognized him at once. "You!" he exclaimed. "Last month, you - "

"We don't have time for this!" the man interrupted. He lay down the body bag on the ground and then took several steps back. "I have to run before they find out what we've done. None of what happened last month was Holly's fault, but they all blame her. You and your master are actually her only hope – Fowl Manor is the last place they'd check."

"Foaly has told me that already," Butler said, taking a few steps toward the body bag. He stopped right in front of it, but refused to pick the fairy up with the other man standing so close.

To anyone but Butler, the man would have come of threatening. "If any of you mistreat her in any way, shape or form, I will come find you," he swore. His tone told Butler that he meant this. "Remember, you owe her your life."

"I know," Butler said. "I can promise you I will do anything for her."

The man seemed to incline his head a little in acknowledgement before he turned, took a step and then seemingly disappeared into the ground.

Butler quickly took off his jacket and knelt down in the cold, wet ground. He opened the body bag and quickly wrapped the jacket around Holly, shielding her from the cold and the rain. Foaly had instructed him to leave the bag. It was fine; Butler wouldn't have transported her in a body bag again anyway.

Butler gathered Holly up in his arms and sprinted back to the car. He quickly lay her down in the back seat before getting into the driver's seat and speeding off back toward the manor.

Butler's eyes kept flickering to the rearview mirror. Holly hadn't awoken yet, she lay as still as the dead in the backseat. He lightly shuddered and hoped she'd be okay. She certainly looked different than she had four months ago. Thinner, paler and… Something that he couldn't put a word to. A scowl appeared on the bodyguard's face even as a bit of unwanted guilt licked at him; he couldn't believe those bastards had locked her up for four months straight.

Butler forced himself to shift his thoughts to more pressing matters. There were questions that scared him. Foaly had taken him through every step of the plan, so he knew what the centaur and the dwarf did and did not do. They did rescue Holly; they did not tell her where she was going. Butler almost groaned out loud – he didn't know whose reaction he dreaded more. Artemis' or Holly's?

There were other complications. How would Angeline react? How would they explain away Holly's past? What about Holly's physical appearance and the fact that she never aged? What if Angeline insisted that Holly be checked by a doctor?

Butler sighed. At least the rain seemed to be letting up. He passed the gate and stopped in front of the manor. As Butler got out, he took a deep breath, that guilt flaring up in him again. He tried to swallow it down as he got out and picked Holly up again. She looked even paler and thinner in his heavy, black jacket.

Juliet had obviously been waiting for them. The front doors flew open before he even reached them.

"Is that Fairy Girl?!" Juliet asked, incredulously. "What's she doing back here? I thought…"

Butler hushed Juliet, shifting the fairy in his arms and moving past his sister. "Something's happened," he said. "I can't explain - " He stopped short, his arms tightening almost protectively around Holly. He felt Juliet tense beside him.

Artemis Fowl was standing at the top of stairs, his icy blue eyes unreadable as they studied Holly. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking or planning or feeling. A torturous moment passed before he spoke, not taking his eyes off the fairy for a second. "Go and buy Holly some clothes, Juliet," he finally said, coolly, dismissing the bodyguard in training with a curt nod.

Butler slightly relaxed, but only slightly. Just because Artemis had acknowledged that Holly would be needing clothes meant nothing. He could only pray that Artemis planned to treat Holly humanely.

Artemis smirked at Butler's unease. "We can't put her in the basement cell again, can we, Butler?"

Butler swallowed a sudden lump in his throat. "Sir, please. She needs - "

Artemis chuckled, quietly, but it was a wry, empty sound. "Put her in the guest bedroom. I'll see her shortly."

Before Butler could respond, Artemis had already turned and disappeared into the darkness of the upper hallways.

Butler decided that had gone better than he'd hoped. Maybe Artemis _had_ known what was happening; his employer was always a step ahead in everything. Sighing a little in relief, he carried Holly up the stairs and to a spare bedroom that was closest to his room and Artemis' room, in case something – he wasn't sure _what_ – happened.

Butler gently lay Holly down on the queen-sized bed and left to go wait outside the door for her to wake up.

Now's the hard part.

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Author's Note:

I know there's a big hole from where Foaly and Mulch pick up Holly and where Butler gets her at Tara, but that'll come up in later chapters. A lot of stuff from Foaly, Mulch and Butler's points of view in this chapter, but chapter 2 will mostly be from Artemis and Holly's points of views.

Of course, this will be AH. Do I even need to say that?

To fans of Double the Fun, I am hit with major MAJOR writers' block, but I think I'm finally getting over it. (Especially now that midterms are out of the way. :S )

So what do you think? Should I continue with this?

REVIEW!

Bonus point questions:

1) Explain the significance of the story's title.

2) The sorceress who took away Holly's power – Ursula – where did I get her name from?

Once again… REVIEW! (Please?)


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer- All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

xXxXxXxXx

Author's Note:

Wow, so I'm guessing everyone likes this fic. This chapter is still angsty and dark, broken up by Juliet-style humour.

Luv

Creatress

xXxXxXxXx

Persephone's Crown

Chapter 2 – Wash It All Away

There was no use in panicking. Times like these called for level-headed planning, and well thought-out moves. Even though Artemis had no idea what would happen after Holly woke up, he didn't allow himself to panic.

Artemis had been monitoring Foaly's computers; or at least, he had been monitoring the few databases and systems he could access. He knew Foaly watched him – the centaur had, unknowingly, been watching the mastermind watch him.

Artemis' own personal Foaly-sensitive security system monitored and protected every and any electronic device in the house. The alarm on Artemis' computer had woken Artemis up as Butler's phone started ringing, and Artemis had listened to their conversation as he recorded it.

Artemis had not been able to react as the news came across, and so had forced himself into the same inertia he held when he faced all situations. There were few matters in the world that he handled with emotion. Emotion, after all, can influence one to act against the best odds.

Artemis retrieved a large plastic bowl and poured in a few millimeters of a concentrated solution that was mostly a mild germ-killing soap. As he filled the bowl with hot water, he easily exterminated the guilt that threatened to rise in his chest. There was no use in feeling guilty or feeling sorry for anyone. Four weeks ago, he had not expected this to happen. He still wasn't sure exactly what happened, but breaking down into tears would not help the situation. He was perfectly calm as he picked up a small, white washcloth and tossed it into the hot water. He pocketed a pair of surgical gloves before he picked up the bowl and left his washroom.

Butler looked surprised to see Artemis when the mastermind appeared. His eyes flickered to the bowl in Artemis' hands, which was full of water still hot enough to be emitting a bit of steam. "What are you going to do?"

Artemis didn't answer. "Honestly, Butler, were you planning on keeping a vigil until she woke up? She's under a sleeping pill, not in a coma." He ignored the taken aback, yet unsurprised look Butler gave him and nodded toward the room. "Open the door, Butler. As you can see, my hands are full."

Butler opened the door and stepped aside. He almost asked Artemis how he knew about the sleeping pill, but decided not to. If Artemis felt he should know, he would have already told him. Otherwise, there would be no getting information from his young master.

Artemis walked into the room, glancing almost briefly at the former captain. Butler shifted his gaze from the genius to the fairy, and frowned worriedly. Holly still hadn't moved. She was lying in the center of the bed, on her back, one hand over the top of her stomach and the other near the side of her head. She was wearing a black tank top and black pants; probably what she wore under her uniform. The clothes were torn and dirty; she had been locked up in them for four weeks straight.

After Artemis set down the heavy bowl on the bedside table, he took a cursory glance at Holly. She'd had a rough ride from the underground world to the earth; no impromptu journey through the earth could go off smoothly. He had to hand it to Foaly for thinking to drug her – it probably would have been painful if she'd been conscious.

But even though Holly was battered and bruised, there was still a stark beauty about her. Her short dark red hair flared around her pale face like a dark halo, and Artemis had to inwardly smile wryly at the thought. Here was a woman who'd just come up to the earth from the underworld.

"Sir?"

Butler's voice brought Artemis back to reality. He got the surgical gloves out of his pocket and started pulling them on. "Start preparing breakfast, Butler. You know what Holly likes; I don't suspect they've been providing her with proper nutrients while she was in jail." He paused, and then added, "I've altered a few government files this morning. Tell me when Mother gets up, but don't tell her anything."

Butler wanted to ask what Artemis thought he was doing, but his orders had been clear enough. Suddenly, he was torn. He wanted to keep Artemis from doing anything to exploit the fairy, but another part of him told him to trust his employer. He was spared from having to decide when Artemis suddenly threw him an irritated look.

"I'm just going to make sure she hasn't broken any bones, Butler," Artemis scowled. "Unless you'd like to go look over a few medical texts and go over the Book to see how a fairy whose lost her magic should be doing physically? Then you can look at her yourself."

Butler wasn't used to seeing Artemis so annoyed. He suddenly felt uncomfortably guilty. "Should I send Juliet up when she returns?" he asked.

"Please," Artemis responded, his voice rather curt.

Butler almost sighed out loud as he shut the door and left to go make breakfast. The only thing he could do now for Holly (and for Artemis, come to think of it) was make sure they had a healthy breakfast.

As soon as Butler was gone, Artemis stopped short, suddenly feeling out of place. A flicker of something like fear passed through him, but he quickly straightened, extinguishing it as soon as he'd extinguished any guilt he might have felt over Holly's exile. He took a deep breath and picked up the washcloth, wringing it more tightly than what was probably necessary. It felt soft and flimsy in his hands, so Artemis got a bit of a shock when he touched Holly's hand to discover that it felt weaker than the washcloth.

Artemis frowned as he passed the washcloth along Holly's hand, removing the dirt from her skin. Was this the same hand that had punched him in the gut four weeks ago?

Artemis gently checked her major bones, lightly moving her fingers to figure out if anything was broken. It would be impossible to tell for sure until Holly woke up, but he had decided it would be better to take care of anything noticeably broken before she woke up to the untreated pain. He washed and checked her right arm, then her shoulders and neck before moving around to the other side of the bed to do her left arm.

Holly's feet were in bad shape. Her arms had been dirty, but they hadn't been subjected to the harsh material of the cells. The LEP treated the criminals it felt belonged solitary confinement with extreme cruelty. It was obvious she hadn't been wearing shoes. The soles of her feet were raw and bloody as well as grimy. She would need something to make sure there would be no contamination.

Artemis rinsed the washcloth, and stood over Holly for a second. He had long since decided that ribs were tricky. All he could do was make sure there was no major damage; if Holly felt anything when she woke up, they'd have to handle it then. He gently pushed up her tank top a few inches to see that her taut stomach was in better shape than her arms and legs. The little protection that the tank top offered must have been appreciated. He gently felt her lower ribs to make sure everything was in check before pulling her tank top down.

Artemis paused for a second before he tossed the washcloth into the bowl. He paused for a second, that strange feeling hindering him, before he shrugged it off. He gently placed his fingers beneath Holly's chin and slowly turned her head onto its side against the pillow. Her hair had grown a few inches and while it barely reached her shoulders, it was long enough that a few strands had fallen over her neck. When he brushed the strands back, her skin slightly rippled under his touch.

Keeping an eye on the watch on his other hand, Artemis placed his middle and index fingers against Holly's neck, over her pulse. It was odd. Holly's pulse was slight, barely traceable, unlike the last time he'd taken her pulse. Last month, her rushing blood had made the vein throb against his fingers. This time, her pulse was light, but it was fast. Ninety-five beats per second. Artemis stepped away from the sleeping fairy.

There was nothing else Artemis could do. Now it would be up to Juliet to clean Holly up.

Artemis left the room, wondering how deep asleep Holly was and how much longer she would sleep for. Foaly hadn't been too sure; the sleeping pill itself was not that strong, but one can never be sure with fairies who have lost their magic. There was nothing to be done now but wait.

When Artemis was halfway down the stairs, the front door creaked open and Juliet stumbled through, struggling with the many shopping bags strung over her arms. She looked up at her employer and gave him a flustered smile. "There's more in the car."

Artemis estimated that there might have been a dozen bags in Juliet's arms already, in all sorts of shapes, colours and sizes. "Juliet… I told you to go buy her clothes. What…?" he trailed off, not knowing what to ask.

Juliet laughed a little. "Arty, you think it's so simple," she said, starting to lug the bags toward the staircase. "I could pretty much guess what colours look good on her." She frowned a little. "Dark greens and emeralds would have looked _so_ good on her, but then I figured it might make her remember her uniform. And that's, like, a shame, because redheads look _so_ hot in green. But it's so hard to figure out colours for them, so I called a few of my friends, but they all started arguing with each other. So it was like whatever." She rolled her eyes and started heaving the bags up the stairs. "So, I got a lot of black, white – that would bring out her tan. Purples and pale pinks are being debated, but I think they would suit her. Don't you?"

Artemis only stared at Juliet as if he'd never seen her before. "So…" he pointed at the bags. "Those are all clothes in every colour of the rainbow?" He stopped short and inwardly winced. 'Every colour of the rainbow.' Juliet's presence sometimes created a vortex of mindless words that pulled everyone in with her. There was a reason she didn't often accompany them to missions away from the manor.

Juliet herself was laughing at Artemis' question. "No, silly, not every colour of the rainbow. I mean, I didn't get her orange." She made a little face. "The thing was, I got her the clothes. But then I remembered she wasn't wearing shoes. So those came up next. And you know how hard shoe shopping could be, especially for someone you don't know very well."

Artemis couldn't respond. "I see," he finally said after a few seconds.

Juliet continued, carrying the bags right past Artemis. "So I got her a few pairs. Sneakers, sandals, some heals, some chunks, etc." Suddenly, the blonde stopped short, her eyes widening. She turned to face Artemis and the bags suddenly rose as her hands flew to her mouth. "Jewelry! She has no jewelry!"

Artemis honestly could not respond to that. "We have something else to deal with, Juliet," he suddenly said. He nodded toward Holly's door. "I need you to clean her up and change her. But I expect that she'll be in bed for most of the day, so you may just dress her in night clothes."

Juliet stopped and stiffened. "PJs…" she said, softly.

"Is something wrong, Juliet?" Artemis asked, raising an eyebrow at the back of Juliet's head.

The bags rose again, higher this time as Juliet brought her hand to her forehead. "I forgot to get her PJs…" she murmured. She suddenly sighed loudly. "What's wrong with me, today? Urgh. Never mind, Artemis, I'll figure something out." She started walking up the stairs again.

Artemis stared at the bags that Juliet dragged along behind her. "You're sure you got her everything she might actually _need_?"

Juliet had reached the top of the stairs. She barely glanced at him before waving the question away with a bunch of bags. "Yeah. I mean, I can't remember everything I got off the top of my head, but you'll get the list at the end of the month, right?"

Artemis frowned. "At the end of the month…?" he questioned.

Juliet smartly responded half a second before she disappeared into Holly's room. "I used _your_ credit card."

Not knowing how to feel about this, Artemis only turned and walked downstairs to the dining room. The first thing he saw was his mother sitting at the table, clad in a pale yellow dressing robe, looking through the newspaper. Obviously, she had woken up not too long ago.

A second later, Butler stepped into the room, holding a plate of fruit and waffles. "Sir, I was just coming to get you," he said, placing the dish down in front of Angeline.

Angeline started a little and looked up, her face brightening into a smile when she saw her son. "Good morning," she said, brightly. "I have some great news. You would never believe - " But then her smile faltered at Artemis' weak smile. "You look tired, honey. Sit down."

Artemis took a seat across from his mother. "I've been up for a while," he said. "Something has happened."

"What is it?" Angeline asked.

"You first," Artemis said.

Angeline reached across the table and patted her son's arm. "Bad news always goes first," she said.

"While you were… Sick this past year," Artemis began. He simply began the story he'd made up; it was so easy to lie to his mother that at some corner of his mind, he felt a little sad. "I met someone. Her name is Holly." As expected, his mother smiled widely and tried to hide it behind her clasped hands. "This is bad news, remember, Mother?"

Angeline quickly sobered. "Right," she said, frowning in worry.

"Holly was there for me when you were sick, and we grew quite close. But then we had a fight and I said some _horrible_ things to her. I was upset over your illness; I wasn't thinking straight…" Artemis let his voice trail off, giving the obvious impression that he didn't want to talk about it. "In any case, late last night, there was a fire at her house."

Angeline's mouth dropped open. "Was she alright?"

"She is, save for a few injuries here and there." Artemis paused for a second, and prepared to gouge his mother's reaction. "Her grandparents weren't."

"What happened?" Angeline asked, her eyebrows furrowing. "Are they…"

"They're dead, Mother," Artemis said, his tone suddenly cool.

"Oh, she must be devastated," Angeline whispered, genuinely sad for the girl. The news hit home, especially to someone whose husband had been missing for the past year. "What about her parents? Were they in the house?" She stopped short when Artemis suddenly shook his head 'no' and brought a hand up to massage his temple. "Well, then, they're okay, right?" she asked, faltering a little. Something in Artemis' expression told her that the situation was worse that she thought.

"No, Mother. It's not like that," Artemis muttered. He sighed a little, suddenly sounding frustrated. "Her parents died a long time ago. Her grandparents were raising her."

"Oh, sweet Jesus." Angeline's heart stopped for a second before it pounded painfully against her chest and throat. "So she… She'd doesn't…?"

"She is an orphan now," Artemis supplied, evenly.

"When did her parents die?" Angeline asked, her voice hushed.

Artemis had to think quickly, doing some quick calculations in his head. "Her father was a police officer. He died when she was almost four years old. Her mother was a scientist, who died almost two years ago."

"Have you spoken to her?" Angeline asked. "What will happen to her? Does she have any other relatives? What - "

Artemis waved a hand to silence the woman across him. "No, Mother, I haven't spoken to her yet. She fainted shortly after she was pulled out of the house. She still hasn't woken up."

Angeline was quiet for a second. "Where is she now?"

Artemis steeled himself a little. "She's upstairs in the guest bedroom."

Angeline sighed a little. "Good, you can be there for her when she wakes up." She missed the cynical smirk that flickered across Artemis' lips then. "How did you get her here?"

"Holly was home schooled, so she didn't have any friends and there are no living relatives. Butler was a friend of the neighbor, so she called him. He and I was the only person she could think of calling. The neighbour, I mean. But she's older than the grandparents; barely alive. So Butler woke me up and then we went down to see what we could do."

Angeline rested her forehead against an open palm. "That poor child," she whispered. "She's lost everyone she's ever cared about."

That much was true. Artemis forced himself to not feel anything, and once again steeled himself before he frowned a little at Angeline. "Mother, I don't want her in foster homes and orphanages."

Angeline sat up a little. "Artemis?" she asked, looking genuinely confused.

"Holly is staying here. Indefinitely." It wasn't a request.

"Indefinitely?" Angeline echoed. "Arty, you make it sound like a suspension order." She glanced around for a second, obviously thinking. Then, as worried as she was, she couldn't keep the corner of her lips from twitching upwards a little. "You want Holly to live here?"

"Yes."

"What did Childrens' Aid say last night?"

"I have already taken care of Childrens' Aid and the authorities. They have no objection to her living here until she reaches age eighteen," Artemis said. "Someone might come by once in a while to make sure we're treating her well, but other than that, they won't interfere."

Angeline was watching her son carefully. Finally, she set her mouth. "What did you and Holly fight about?" she asked, bluntly. "I've been well for one month and I haven't seen nor heard of her until today." Her expression softened a little and she raised her eyebrows. "Was it bad?"

Artemis dropped his gaze to his hands clasped before him on the table. "It was bad," he said. Then he smiled mirthlessly. He unknowingly let his guard drop a little. "I just heard myself talking. No, it wasn't bad. It was horrible. No one would blame her if she never forgives me."

"What did you do?" Angeline asked, her voice a little too earnest for Artemis' liking.

Artemis frowned, walls up again. "Something bad," he allowed. "It's between Holly and I, Mother. We'll get over it ourselves. If we can't..." He shrugged. "She and I will deal with it."

"Is someone with her now?" Angeline asked, her gaze flickering to the dining room doorway.

"Juliet is with her."

Angeline frowned at Artemis. "I think you should go grab a book or your laptop or something, and stay in her room until she wakes up. I mean, it wouldn't do for her to wake up after a fire in an unfamiliar place with someone she doesn't know, would it?"

Artemis had not seen this coming. "We had a fight, remember? I will talk to her after she - "

"Artemis," Angeline interrupted with a warning in her voice. She deflated a little. "Trust me, I know these things."

Artemis knew a worthless fight when he saw one. He had easily convinced his mother to let Holly live here; probably because she was still guilt ridden over her illness. But there was no way she would let this go. "I'll go to Holly's room then."

"There's a good boy."

Artemis' stomach tightened at the compliment. Ignorance _was_ bliss.

xXxXxXxXx

Holly awoke feeling drained and achy. It wasn't so much that she had a headache, but more like the amount of fatigue weighing on made her feeling like a troll had fallen on her. But she couldn't go back to sleep; not even if she wanted to. Besides, she most decidedly did not want to.

As soon as the darkness of her sleep faded, Holly was blinded by an overwhelming amount of white. She squeezed her eyes shut again, and slowly opened them, trying to adjust to the brightness of the room as she got up, propping herself up on her hands. Where was she?

The room's furniture were a little bigger than the average sizes of fairy furniture, so she quickly deducted that she was in a human dwelling. The white walls, white sheets and white curtains were accentuated here and there by dark brown wood. The only other colours in the room came from a pile of shopping bags, which were randomly sitting in the middle of the carpeted floor.

Holly shifted her gaze down to her herself. She suddenly felt _clean_. Her hands were scrubbed and glowing, and it felt like the rest of her skin was too. The feeling was accentuated by the soft, black nightshirt she was wearing. Her hair, she suddenly realized, was damp, as it if it had just been washed.

Holly backpedaled, suddenly hit with a mountain of grief. She'd been exiled from the people. Her powers were gone. There was no way she could ever speak to any of them ever again; not without risking them to the same punishment she bore. Her chest constricted at the memory and she almost doubled over in the emotional pain. What was she going to do?

A sound cut through her feelings like a knife. There was a heavy shuffling sound coming toward the door, accompanied by voices.

"…for your help, Dom. It would have taken me all day." There was a thud. "Careful! Those boots are Aldo."

"And here I thought you didn't like Holly."

The voices were barely recognizable through the heavy door, but Holly stiffened. She could not be in contact with fairies, so those two can only be humans. There were few humans who she was familiar with. Two seconds before the door opened, Holly had fallen back on the bed, eyes shut, struggling to keep her breathing even.

Juliet's tone was impatient. "It doesn't matter whether or not I like Holly. I wouldn't wish bad shoes on my worst enemy, Dom, you know that."

Butler sounded confused. "Why?"

Juliet sighed, giving up. "Help me put these away."

Holly inwardly frowned, trying to keep calm and create a mental picture of the room. Was there anything she'd seen that she could use as a weapon? Fowl hadn't kidnapped her again, had he? What would he do with her if he found out that she was useless? That the LEP wouldn't give anything to save her?

There were long moments of quiet shuffling before Butler spoke hesitantly. "Uhh, Juliet?" he paused. "You know I would never doubt you, but…"

"But?" the girl's voice came off menacing, even to the bodyguard.

"I think Artemis wants everyone to think she's his age. How are three inch heels going to help?"

Holly barely heard Juliet's frustrated sigh then. Fowl wanted everyone to think she was twelve? Why would he…?

"First of all, Dom, they're three and a _half_ inches." There were a few thuds as Juliet stomped over to her brother. "Second, they go on _this_ shelf." Another thud, this one leaving echoes behind it. "Third, I get that Holly would _probably_ put a show on for Mrs. Fowl, but the girl will _probably_ have some Real Holly time and she'll _probably_ want proper shoes for it."

Butler spoke a while after, as if it had taken a moment for his sister's words to settle. "Proper…" he finally echoed, obviously struggling to understand. "But three…" He gave up. "Never mind."

Holly's mind was racing, barely registering the siblings' conversation. Fowl wanted everyone to think she was twelve. He probably wanted them to think she was human. Why would he…? Her hands were lightly trembling, in an odd combination of fear and hatred. She struggled to keep herself steady. She conjured her mental picture of the room again, and tried to remember the floor plans of the manor from the last time she had been there. But try as she might, all that would come to mind was the hard grey of the solitary confinement unit walls.

Holly suddenly registered the sound of the door opening along with Butler and Juliet's shuffling coming to an abrupt stop. Her face and neck suddenly stung and tingled in a way that only meant she was being watched. Though she'd been expecting it, her chest lurched when she heard Artemis Fowl's voice. "Has she moved?"

"A little, when I was washing her," Juliet answered. "She was trembling, though, so I figured she was cold and covered her with a blanket."

Artemis sounded impatient now. "Did she move, other than to tremble?"

Juliet hesitated for a second. "I… I don't think so…"

There was silence for a few seconds, and Holly wondered what was going on. Suddenly, she felt her blanket whip down her body from her chest to her stomach. What in Haven…?

Artemis spoke again, and it was obvious he was now standing next to Holly. "Is that my nightshirt?"

Juliet came off defensive. "I told, I forgot the PJs. And _you_ never wear it, so…"

"I do s - " Artemis stopped midsentence and sighed a little. "Isn't it about time you two did your rounds?"

Holly's heart clenched. Butler and Juliet were one thing, but Fowl was quite another. She would have taken the Butlers over him any day. With Butler and Juliet gone, she didn't know what would restrain her from attacking the person who had cost her _everything_. Her friends, her career, her _life_. The pain she'd felt before fed on her thoughts and morphed into murderous fury. She tried to stay calm and listen to reason – she had no magic, and she still felt weak. Even Artemis may be able to overtake her physically in this state, and besides, any sound could send one of the Butlers running back.

"Sir, when do you expect her to wake up?"

Butler's question somehow calmed Holly as it drew her away from her vicious thoughts. Artemis' toneless response sent her cycling into stress and anxiety. "If she doesn't wake up within the next fifteen minutes, I'm going to administer a shot to help her along."

Holly would have to act soon. She struggled to stay calm as she heard the door closing.

There was a second of silence. And then, in a voice that was half pleading and half commanding: "Open your eyes, Holly."

Surprise and fear were accompanied by stubborn petty disobedience. By some unfounded reasoning, Holly's eyes stayed shut. Her eye lids squeezed even tighter together as her eyebrow furrowed a little.

Holly heard Artemis sigh a little, in much the same way that he had sighed after she refused his proposal for her to surrender peacefully four weeks ago.

Suddenly, Holly felt Artemis' fingers at her jugular, and as tired as she was, instinct kicked in and she reacted. She shot up into a sitting position, her hand catching Artemis' wrist in a fighting grip. But Holly did open her eyes, and triumph and failure and a storm of emotions exploded between them when her gaze met his.

xXxXxXx

A/n

You must all hate me right now. So I promise you this: Chapter 3 will start off with Artemis and Holly.

As for last chapter's questions:

Persephone's Crown makes an allusion to (drum roll) Persephone. The Crown part will, hopefully, become clearer as the fic goes on. I encourage you all to keep thinking about it. It's definitely a representational metaphoric symbolism thing. ;P

I did indeed get Ursula from the Little Mermaid. Here's why I used that: In the Little Mermaid, Ursula was the one to took away Ariel's fin and sends her to land where she could be with Eric. Here, Ursula took away Holly's magic and sent her above ground so that she could be with Arty! Yay me!...Okay, fine. It wasn't me. A friend (f f . net username Maq) compared Ariel (a redhead) and Eric (black hair and blue eyes) to another one of my favourite pairings (different fandom from AF) where the girl has red hair and the guy has black hair and blue eyes. Also, there was the whole thing about them being from two different worlds. But it was I (mwahaha) who then connected it to Holly (also a redhead) and Arty (you get the point).

I didn't know what to call this chapter. Seriously, I dare you to try to figure out where I got this chapter title from and how my deranged mind connected it to the context of the chapter.

Reviews make me happy, and happy makes me type. Ergo, more reviews = chapter 3 coming out faster. Catch my drift?


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer- All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

xXxXxXxXx

Author's Note:

This chapter's shorter than I wanted it to be, but it also turned out darker and more intense to make up for length. I had it done by Saturday night, but stupid site wouldn't let me load it. : (. I stayed up late to finish it, too. You don't know how ticked off I was when I found out. Then, I forgot what my new hotmail password is. (sigh)

Enjoy!

Luv

Creatress

xXxXxXxXx

Persephone's Crown

Chapter 3 – Unseen Empathy

Suddenly, Holly felt Artemis' fingers at her jugular, and as tired as she was, instinct kicked in and she reacted. She shot up into a sitting position, her hand catching Artemis' wrist in a fighting grip. But Holly did open her eyes, and triumph and failure and a storm of emotions exploded between them when her gaze met his.

Holly gulped a little. She had thought about hurting him, killing him – ending his life the way he had ended hers. But seeing him rendered her feeling lost. She was never supposed to see him again; the last time she'd seen him was the supposed to be the last time she would _ever_ see him. She suddenly felt detached and empty, as if the world had turned into a dream, and tensed herself, waiting for him to react, to do something.

But Artemis only held her tired, yet determined gaze for half a second before he turned away to stare at his watch. This had two benefits: he could quickly check her pulse, as she hadn't pushed his hands away from her neck. Also, having to check her pulse meant that he could look at something else rather than having to look into her hurt, hateful and _accusing_ eyes. But five seconds in, he suddenly felt her hand slightly tremble around his fist before her grip loosened.

Artemis' eyes snapped back to Holly just as she let go of his wrist to slowly lean back against the bed, her eyes blank and defocused as her whole body shuddered. "Holly?" he asked, frowning. He let go of her neck to grasp her shoulder so that he could push her back down against the pillows.

Holly abruptly stopped shaking and blinked. She shrugged his hand off and turned away, glancing around the room like a scared rabbit. "What just happened?" she asked, her quiet voice a little hoarse. "What was that?"

Artemis watched her carefully, feeling himself tense and get into fight or flight mode. "I don't know."

Holly turned to him, eyes glazing over, acting differently than how he expected her to react. "I don't believe you!" she said, as if talking to herself. She glanced around a little before she turned to him, furrowing her eyebrows. "What happened to me? How did I get here?"

Artemis frowned, and then glanced toward the doorway. "It's a long story," he told her. "You're in no condition - " He stopped as Holly stiffened again, another tremor passing through her. Artemis glanced at his watch again, intending to time it, but this attack only lasted a few seconds.

"What is that?" Holly asked, looking down at herself with wide eyes. She suddenly sounded scared. She met Artemis' eyes accusingly. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," Artemis said, evenly, his voice starting to give away his building irritation. But then he stopped short when Holly turned her gaze to her own hands. Was she expecting her magic to kick in and heal her? He studied her confused, scared expression for a few seconds and then remembered what she had been through for the past few weeks. "Holly," he said, trying to keep his voice gentle and firm. "You've lost your magic."

Holly suddenly shook her head, bringing her hands up to cover her face. Artemis thought she might be in denial, but then the fairy spoke, her voice muffled. "No. I didn't lose it. They took it."

Artemis looked away from Holly to gaze at the high, white ceiling for a second. "Either way," he said, carefully. "You don't have it anymore." His gaze dropped to Holly again, and he saw that she had frozen, her hands in her lap as she stared at the floor with an unreadable expression. "I don't know what's happening to you yet, but I am certain I will figure it out. I doubt that the procedure was life threatening, so - " He stopped talking when Holly started moving.

"Of course, it was life threatening," she said, her voice unreasonably calm. She started moving toward the edge of the bed. "I'm leaving this place."

Artemis grabbed her arm to stop her. "You're not going anywhere," he stated.

Holly tried to twist her arm out of his grip. "This is all your fault!" she snapped, her voice finally rising a little. "They did this because the LEP lost to you. Do you-?" Her voice suddenly broke and she stopped struggling, bringing her other hand to cover her face.

Artemis used the opportunity to push Holly back down into a sitting position on the mattress, his hand still around her arm. "This is not my fault," he told her. His throat felt strangely hollow, contrary to how strong and sure his voice was. "The Book says nothing about exiling fairies who've lost to humans."

Holly tried to jerk her arm away. "I've lost everything because you of what you did to me!" Her voice sounded strangled, yet steady. It was an odd sound. "My job, my friends, my _life_!"

Artemis' tone was infuriatingly cold and emotionless around the emptiness that still caressed his throat. "Debatable," he said, shrugging a little.

Holly turned to look at him, and for a second, he was able to see the old Captain Short somewhere in the depths of her hazel eyes. "Don't you understand?!" she demanded. When Artemis only looked at her with an expectant expression, she turned away, exhaling and covering her face with her free hand again. Her next words were strong, lined with repressed desperation. "I've been exiled. I'm worth nothing to you. _Please_ just let me go."

Artemis subconsciously tightened his hold on her arm, his icy composure thickening around him as he heard her. At some far, dark corner of his mind, he thought that he should be feeling something, _anything_ – sadness, guilt. But he gulped, though there was nothing to swallow and even managed a small, callous smile. "You really think I could just let you walk away?"

"You can't keep me here." Holly's voice was barely audible now.

Her calmness suddenly irked Artemis in a way that made him lose his patience. "Where were you planning on going?" he asked, cuttingly. "Like you said, you've been exiled from Haven. You have no magic, no weapons and no possessions. Above all, you have no one to help you." He suddenly felt her arm go limp and let her go. Holly's face was hidden by the locks of hair that had fallen in front of her face, so he couldn't make out her expression. "You're not leaving here, Holly."

Holly heard what Artemis was saying and suddenly understood. Really understood, as the reality of the situation finally settled on her. The grief she'd experienced when she'd woken up came screaming back to attack her relentlessly, tearing into every fiber of her being. It was as if she had lost her mother and father all over again – the hurting, helpless pain from years ago came back now in full force, amplified further by the fact that it wasn't just her family. This time, she had lost _everyone_. She was truly alone.

Holly had seen a system overload before. During a major software change, all of the computers in the LEP offices took too much information at once and simply _crashed_. One second, there were millions of pixels running across the screen in vibrant colours, numbers and letters. The next second, it was just dead. There was nothing there. Everything had a limit.

There was only so much a person can take; only so many feelings. Holly suddenly felt like the wind had been knocked out of her, and for a second, she felt nothing. And then, something inside her broke.

The first scream took Artemis off guard. For half a second, he hadn't realized that the tortured, animalistic howl had come from Holly, who had doubled over. Artemis didn't know what to do – should he call Butler? Administer a sedative? He almost took a step back from the bed as he glanced toward the door, wondering what he should do, and almost panicking as his mind drew a blank. This had never happened before. Cold, indifferent reason had abandoned him. But then Holly screamed again, and the sound cut through the walls around him. Suddenly, he was moving without thinking about it, the ice around him disintegrating as he let instinct take over.

Holly's third scream was muffled by Artemis' shirt. For a few seconds she thrashed against him, and he had to tighten his arms around her in an effort to hold her still, before she went limp, moving only because of the sobs that wracked her.

Artemis knew he should probably say something, but the words froze in his throat. He looked down at the elf he was holding, but he couldn't see her face through her hair. That was fine, though. He didn't want to see her face; he didn't _want_ to see her tears. The words that were choking his throat right now were almost as bad as the empty nothingness that had bothered him before. Artemis tried to take a deep breath, but it was shaky. He didn't know how long it had been. His nightshirt - now Holly's – covered his watch. He waited until her sobs subsided before loosening his arms. There were a few words at the bottom of his throat, but he bit them down along with his guilt. "You need to rest." He sounded so much older than his years.

As soon as Artemis let her go, Holly turned away from him, lying face down on the bed. Artemis hesitated, wondering if he should ask her if she needed anything, but decided to keep quiet. He pulled the covers over her, up to her shoulders, but Holly didn't react. There was nothing else to do but leave.

xXx

Artemis left Holly's room and closed the door gently behind him. It took him a second to realize that his mother was standing against the wall beside the door. "Mother?" he asked, surprised. Had she heard the screaming? He realized that Angeline wasn't looking at him, and he followed her gaze to his chest. Between the material of his black blazer, his white shirt was wet.

Angeline's own eyes were a little glazed. "Butler and Juliet left to check the cameras. We all came running when we heard her, but…" She trailed off, her eyes flickering to Artemis' face. "We saw you… Holding her, and we figured it wouldn't do to interrupt."

Artemis suddenly felt exhausted, and couldn't bring himself to make any comments to convey how he felt about their decision.

"Artemis?"

Artemis leaned against Holly's door, getting ready for another round of sugarcoated praises for standing by his friend at a time like this. "Yes, Mother?"

"People tend to…" Angeline trailed off, and lightly waved a hand, struggling to find the right words. Her discomfort caught her son's attention, though, and he straightened. "People tend to deal with tragedies in different ways."

Artemis frowned. "Yes," he said, rather shortly. "I know that. What are you talking about, Mother?"

Angeline sighed a little. "I know my illness hurt you. I just don't want you think that…" She trailed off and sighed heavily again. "I don't want you to think that you can make everything better for her. Instantly, I mean. It will take a while for her to heal. If she…" Her words trailed off for a third time and Artemis lost his patience.

The mastermind straightened, frowning. "I don't expect to _fix_ Holly in a few days," Artemis said. "And after what happened to cause our fight, I don't expect to be able to make her life into a fun ride either. But I know it would be worse if she was transferred around to homes after homes."

Angeline interrupted him. "You keep talking about what happened between you two while I was sick," she pointed out. She met his eyes and smiled a little. "You say you did something 'bad.' You can tell me what it was. Maybe I can help fix it."

The corner of Artemis' lips quirked and his gaze shifted to Holly's door. "You can't fix it."

Angeline reached out and took Artemis' shoulders. "Honey, I'm your mother. I won't judge you."

"If I had been a few years older, a jury would have judged me for you." Artemis smiled wryly when his mother let him go.

"You're being overdramatic," Angeline said. Her tone was rushed, but each word was emphasized, as if she was talking to herself.

Artemis didn't respond in any way, shape or form. His eyes were fixed on Holly's door. "After Holly wakes up, will you please refrain from questioning her, as well?" he said. It was more of an ill-disguised order than a question.

Angeline recoiled a little. When Artemis slipped into overly informal tones, it was a sign that he was about slip into cold distance as well. "Fine," she sighed, unhappily. "I won't ask her anything."

Artemis turned to his mother, looking serious. "And please don't bother Butler or Juliet about it either. They only know what I needed them to know, and I only needed them to know very little."

Angeline frowned, trying to look angry. It was a step away from how distressed she really felt. "But I _may_ speak to her?" she asked. She set her jaw when Artemis frowned and furrowed an eyebrow, obviously thinking about it. "Artemis, I live here, too. This is the only one of your friends I've ever even heard about, and I won't avoid her. Especially not while she lives under the same roof as me."

Artemis bristled a little. "I can't guarantee that she will respond to you." His mother didn't reply, only tried to give him the kind of unyielding look most mothers gave to normal twelve-year-olds. It was a useless tool to Angeline, though, and Artemis decided to change the topic. "You said you had good news this morning. What was it?"

Angeline waved a hand, dismissing it. "Stricter laws concerning caging animals in rural parts of India," she mumbled.

Artemis' interest was vague, but it was interest nevertheless. "Oh?" he asked.

Angeline tried harder to get into the subject. "Well, it used to be perfectly legal to go out, capture an animal and put it in this tiny cell - " She stopped talking when Artemis suddenly brought a hand to his forehead. "Artemis?"

"I forgot to do something. I'll talk to you later, Mother," he promised, as he took a few steps away.

"Fine," Angeline sighed before Artemis turned and disappeared around the corner. She looked at the door to Holly's room. Was the girl asleep?

It took a great amount of willpower to keep Angeline from going in to see her. This was the first friend Artemis had ever spoken of – the only other people that the boy was remotely friendly with were herself and the Butlers. But being his mother and being his staff put them in different standings with him. She herself would always be responsible for looking after him, worrying about it, doing anything for him. Juliet's main job – taking orders – prevented her friendship with Artemis from doing any good for him or having any influence on him. Butler, one of the most important people in Artemis' life, was little better; the bodyguard was like a male combination of Angeline and Juliet. Holly was the only person who was at an equal footing with Artemis; she was neither expected to obey him nor be obeyed by him. She was… Different. And though Angeline knew that appearances could be deceiving, she was to dying to at least get a _glimpse_ of her. So, of course, it took a great amount of willpower to restrain herself.

xXx

After her rounds, Juliet was told to watch over Holly, but not to wake her up. It sounded eerily like her first ever instructions regarding the redhead, but at least, the back drop was different this time. The guest bedroom was a definite level above the basement cell that Holly had been kept in before, but Juliet didn't bother pointing any of this out to Artemis nor Butler. Butler, she knew agreed with her. Artemis, she'd rather not deal with at the moment – it was quite obvious that the genius just wanted to be left alone.

Juliet passed her time in Holly's room by putting all the clothes away. She was actually enjoying herself, sorting through the garments based on colour, texture, use, etc. Almost two hours flew by, and Juliet was just perfecting the order of the shoes on the rack before a slight movement from the bed caught her attention.

Holly was stirring. Juliet shot over to the side of the bed and stood over her, not knowing what to expect. She had heard the screams earlier, and was actually surprised that Artemis hadn't called her and her brother in to restrain the other girl. Master Fowl was getting soft, she suddenly decided. However, she was snapped out of her thoughts when Holly's eyes opened.

Juliet stood stock still, wondering what was about to happen. But Holly didn't react to seeing her at all. The redhead only gazed curiously at her for a second before she sat up, letting her olive-speckled brown eyes roam over the room. Her expression was still calm, save for the slight amount of curiousity.

"Artemis has gone," Juliet suddenly blurted. She froze when Holly tensed, but the fairy didn't do anything. She only dropped her eyes to her small hands, which were hanging lightly to the rim of the blanket. Juliet shifted from foot to foot for a second, suddenly feeling nervous. "So…" she mused.

Holly didn't answer. Her eyes were blank as they studied the white covers of the bed, taking in the contrast between the material of the bedding and the material of her – or Artemis' – nightshirt.

"Do you want to shower?" Juliet asked. "I mean, I did give you a sponge bath earlier, but you might feel better. And it's almost time for lunch, so…" The blonde abruptly stopped babbling when Holly turned to look at her. Juliet, suddenly feeling flustered, gestured toward a second, smaller door at the corner of the room. "Washroom's over there." She felt a bit of relief when Holly looked away from her again to look at the washroom entrance. "I went shopping for you. Well, we can go again if you want; I don't really know your style. But I got you new towels, and they're already in there. They're blue…" Juliet trailed off when Holly slid out of bed and started walking toward the washroom.

Once the door shut behind Holly, Juliet stood still for a second before she smiled. First, she'd make Holly's bed. After that, there's would be nothing else to do but pick out an outfit for her.

xXxXx

Artemis pushed away his keyboard, unable to type anymore. His fingers were trembling and the amount of errors he caused frustrated him. He brought a hand to his forehead to massage his right temple. He had a cup of Earl Grey tea, but that was all the caffeine he had this morning. He didn't have anything else that would cause his fingers to tremble. Of course, his genius mind immediately supplied him with the fact that a physiological symptom could often be caused by psychological stress.

He should have said something.

Artemis almost hit his keyboard, but restrained himself. He made a fist instead and easily shot down the mental suggestion. This had nothing to do with Holly. He hadn't kept track of the number of people he manipulated in his life. Besides, was he not trying to _help_ Holly?

The inner voice that answered sounded irritatingly like his own. There was something maddening about arguing with oneself, especially if one happened to be Artemis Fowl. He couldn't help Holly if he couldn't help himself first.

Artemis let his gaze pass over his room, before his eyes came to a stop on rather squished black files on the bottom shelf of his bookcase. The files, all similar, no matter how many of them there were or ever would be, would all be squished into the bottom shelf. Each one contained reports (and Artemis used this term loosely) on the young mastermind's psyche.

Artemis' eyes traveled back to the desk before him, and his attention was caught by a book. It was thicker than a notebook, thinner than a text book, with hard, black covers. It was his diary. The book was only there because of a recommendation by a since retired school psychologist. Artemis could have imagined what the man had said to his mother. "I can't figure the boy out. Give him a diary, and go into it when he's asleep. It's your best bet." So far, the book was filled with a few entries of him bashing the psychosis systems of the world. He didn't write daily, but that was fine. Artemis never did write how his day was going and he felt about it tough; that made him feel childish.

A question shot through his mind. _What's wrong with me?_ Artemis suddenly thought that he should have said something for his sake as well as Holly's.

Wordlessly, Artemis dragged his diary from the corner of his desk to the space in front of him. But whatever made him retrieve the diary was gone as soon as Artemis opened the book to a new, blank page. Artemis sat, fountain pen in hand, staring at the page for a good few minutes before he set the writing instrument back down, growing rigid as he did so. I am fine, he told himself.

_I am fine_.

xXx

After a few long minutes of standing under a jet of hot water, Holly had to wipe a spot of the mirror clean before she could stare at herself. She'd pulled on the light cerulean bathrobe, but it only served to make her cheeks look even more flushed than they were after the shower. But Holly wasn't paying attention to her cheeks. She was more interested in her ears and the locks of red hair around them.

Wordlessly, Holly ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing the locks out over her ears, and letting some of the strands fall over her forehead and the sides of her face. When her ears were amply covered, she frowned at the water specked glass and looked at herself with a strange expression of pained satisfaction before she abruptly turned away and left the washroom.

xXxXxXxXx

A/n

I'm sorry if that wasn't up to par with Ch. 1 and 2… Was it? I can't tell, and I've had differing opinions from two different readers. Anyways, if it was different, it's because I've been buried under work. Also, the Creatress is feeling twitchy and nervous because she has forgotten her new password to her hotmail account.

Next chapter: An unexpected turn in Holly's condition creates a shock for everyone in the household and puts a strain on Artemis.

Questions to mull over while you await Ch. 4:

1) Where did I get the line _"You really think I could just let you walk away?"_ Who said that to who, and how does it relate to AH in this fic?

2) Do you think there's any significance behind the nightshirt?

3) Bonus question: (REALLY HARD!) What did I change my password to?!? It has something to do with Artemis/Holly (because no one else in my family are Colfer's readers). Also, if it helps, I had just finished reading Dark Chocolate by Olynara Sedai.

I'll see you next Friday or Saturday…

REVIEW! (Please? I'll give you cookies!)


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer- All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

xXxXxXxXx

Author's Note:

Sorry I got this out a week late. They've legalized studentcide via work at my school.

Also, this chapter is dedicated to artyfan. He/she knows why. :P

Luv

Creatress

xXxXxXxXx

Persephone's Crown

Chapter 4 – Seeds

Holly walked back into the room, and Juliet immediately appeared in front of her. Holly glanced at her with a vague amount of interest before she turned her gaze to the room again. The room itself was beautiful, but Holly suddenly only saw gray walls and cement floors. There was no difference between this bright, sunny room and the dark, gray basement cell downstairs or the solitary confinement unit at the police headquarters. A cage would always be a cage.

"Your hair looks nice like that."

Juliet's voice drew Holly out of her thoughts but Holly didn't react. She only wondered what the girl wanted and why she hadn't run off to fetch Master Artemis when she'd awoken.

"I laid out an outfit for you, but you can get something else if you want," Juliet continued, ambling over to the side of the room where the closet was. "It's just that you have to choose before we can get your shoes."

Holly hadn't noticed the pale, shimmering pink top laid out on the bed along with a white skirt. The corner of her lip twitched downward a little.

At the other side of the room, Juliet seemed to sense Holly's reaction. "You didn't strike me as girly-girl, but Mrs. Fowl likes that stuff. So, if you, like… Wanted to make a good first impression or something," she babbled. She stopped when Holly crossed her arms over her chest. "So… Redheads don't do pink?"

Holly felt a sudden throb between her eyebrows and pressed a fist against the area.

"Are you feeling okay?" Juliet asked, uncertainly. "Should I go get Artemis?" Holly only let her fist drop, but the fairy didn't turn to face her. The blonde slightly shuffled from foot to foot, suddenly feeling awkwardly useless. It was the same kind of feeling she had when Angeline used to be sick; when she didn't know what words or actions would set the older woman off. Making up her mind, Juliet decided to do the same thing she used to do before. "I'll wait outside." She walked over to the door and opened it, looking back at Holly hesitantly. "Lunch'll be in about half an hour. So, just get dressed and yell when you need me." She waited for Holly to reply, but the redhead didn't even turn to look at her. Juliet wasn't offended; she actually felt saddened. This definitely wasn't the same fairy from a month ago. The girl in the room now was so much more… _Urgh_. Juliet then left the room, thoroughly satisfied with her choice of words.

xXxXx

"What happened between Artemis and Holly?"

Butler froze, and then turned away from Angeline's demanding gaze. He calmly threw a few chopped onions into the frying pan before remembering the connection between eye contact and lie detection. If he didn't meet her eyes while responding, she'd figure that he was lying. So he turned back around and looked Angeline in the eyes. "He forgot her birthday."

Angeline smiled, but it was exasperated. "You don't think much of me, do you?"

Butler smiled a little. "I can honestly tell you that I have the highest respect for you, Angeline, but _you_ don't think much of _me_, do you?"

Angeline looked surprised now. "What do you mean?" she asked, curiously.

"Firstly, I wouldn't give away any information Artemis wouldn't want me to give away. Secondly, what did you think – that I was chaperoning their little play dates?"

"Artemis would fire you if he heard you use the words 'play date.'"

Butler chuckled. "In any case, I never eavesdropped."

Angeline made her way around the counter, shaking her head vehemently. "No… No, no, no. No. That is not what I meant. Of course, you never eavesdropped. And one should not eavesdrop. No."

Butler frowned. "I don't like the amount of times you said 'no.'"

Angeline shrugged. "I will never ask you to eavesdrop," she clarified. She tried again. "But you didn't accidentally overhear anything either?"

Butler shook his head, feeling guiltier by the second. There was something that got to you about lying to Angeline Fowl. She was a trusting woman, possibly to the point of naive, but what she lacked in strength and poor judgment of character, she made up for in spades in her goodness. She was so kind-hearted, warm and giving. Lying to Angeline was like lying to Mother Theresa. "I'm sorry to disappoint you."

Angeline patted Butler's arm, as if forgiving him. She paused for a second, a slight smile tugging at her lips. "So what did they do when they were together?"

Butler suddenly wished she would go away and interrogate Juliet. "Talk, I suppose," he muttered, turning back to the frying pan.

Angeline smiled, softly. "And you hadn't been listening."

"No."

Angeline was silent for a second. "So what's for lunch?"

xXxXx

Juliet hesitantly knocked on Holly's door. "Are you dressed yet?" she called. "Five minutes to noon." She waited, but there was no answer. She frowned after a second, and then set her jaw. However, she was cautious when she inched the door open.

Juliet didn't know what to think when she saw Holly. She wasn't sure whether to be surprised or not. And if she had chosen to be surprised, she didn't know if it would be pleasured surprise or not.

Holly hadn't worn the outfit Juliet had chosen. The redhead had gotten herself a black turtleneck sweater and dark blue jeans. But even though she was dressed, Holly had curled up on top of the made bed, obviously intent on staying there.

Juliet finally made a decision. Without saying anything, she stepped back outside and gently shut the door before taking her cell phone out.

Artemis didn't pick up the phone right away and he sounded agitated when finally did answer. "What is it, Juliet?"

"Hey, does fairy girl need to eat?"

"Of course, Holly needs to eat. She's _alive_, isn't she? Also, will you please stop calling her fairy girl?"

Juliet rolled her eyes, obviously forgetting that Artemis could probably see her on screen on one of the security monitors. "Fine, fine. The thing is, I don't think she wants to come down."

"She told you she doesn't want to eat?"

"No, she won't say anything to me. She took a shower, got dressed and then got right back into bed. I don't know what she means by it. Does she –?"

"Don't bother her. Just go down to have lunch, Juliet." Artemis interrupted. He tone grew a little curter. "Inform Butler that I'm going to skip lunch today, too."

Before Juliet could demand why, the line went dead.

xXxXx

Artemis didn't know why the words had come out of his mouth. Hearing that Holly was refusing to have lunch bothered him and he had suddenly felt tired and frustrated. A second later, he'd decided that he wasn't hungry either.

Artemis suddenly wondered if Foaly would be in touch. He and Mulch wouldn't have just dropped Holly off, never to see her again, would they? His mind pulsed as he imagined the possibilities. Was there another chance at fairy gold?

Up to now, the genius had not been sure what he was going to do with Holly. Worse was that he didn't know what the Council was planning. Surely, they'd noticed she was gone by now. What would he say to them if they'd turned up on the manor grounds again? Holly did, after all, still possess knowledge of the fairy folk.

Artemis considered using her again, the way he did last time. But the thought brought with it an unfamiliar pang that Artemis wasn't particularly fond of. But he easily brushed the feeling off; after all, the People had convicted Holly of a crime she hadn't committed. Artemis slightly smirked as the thought settled and led to another, more provocative thought. Perhaps…

Perhaps.

Artemis leaned back in his chair, an idea hitting him like a pleasant, exciting lightning.

xXxXx

Holly tensed herself and shuddered as another electric wave passed through her. They came less often now, but that didn't make them any less frightening or uncomfortable. She still hadn't figured out what was causing them or what they were doing to her. The urge to hurt herself to see if she had the least bit of healing magic left became more and more insistent.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and Holly stiffened, remaining quiet.

"Miss Sho–er… Holly?" It was Butler. "May I please come in?"

Holly didn't answer. She couldn't talk to anyone. Especially not these people; the ones who have been the cause of her life crumbling around her.

The door slowly edged open and Butler slipped in, hurriedly shutting the door behind him. He was carrying a tray with a bottle of water, a vegetarian Asian salad and a smaller fruit salad. "In many cultures, silence means yes," he said, trying in vain to smile comfortingly.

Holly sat up in bed, staring at him expressionlessly, yet warily. This was the only response the bodyguard received.

Butler looked decidedly nervous as he walked around to the side of the bed. He was big enough that he had to kneel down to be at eye-level with her before he set the tray down on the bed. He suddenly reminded the fairy of Foaly, when he had offered her the sleeping pill with the same nervous, begging expression. "Look, Holly, Artemis said he wasn't going to have lunch after he found out you weren't going to have lunch. But this has nothing to do with him. I mean, he has ordered us not to bother you, but…" he trailed off, wondering whether that had been a good way to start off. Then, he chose his words carefully. "Earlier today, I promised Foaly and Mulch that I would look after you. _Please_ eat something."

Holly shifted her eyes to the foot of the bed, obviously unwilling to do as he had asked. She didn't know what it was, but seeing the vegetables and the fruits – so obviously vegetarian because she was a fairy – strengthened her will not to eat anything. She didn't even know why she was doing this; she just knew she that she couldn't eat. Especially not the food that was so closely connected to her culture; her culture that she had been expelled from.

Butler sighed heavily from the side of the bed. "You aren't making my job easy, Ca – Holly." He paused for a second. "What do you hope to accomplish by starving yourself?"

Holly didn't bother responding, but she did spare the bodyguard a rather curt glance before turning back to the foot of the bed.

"I can only imagine what you're going through," Butler continued. He thought back to his negotiations training. "Holly, I am disobeying Artemis by being here. We do care about you -" He stopped short when he saw that he had elicited a response from the fairy, but it was far from the response he had desired. The thought that Holly, a fully trained cop, would recognize negotiations tactics struck him too late.

Holly's eyes flashed when she turned to him, and for the half a second that she showed him any feeling, she was the old Captain Short. Her voice, however, was calm and almost careless. "It is a little too late for your disobedience to be of any use, Domovoi." She ignored the surprise that flickered across his face when she used his first name. "I'm not obligated to help you keep any promises you made." Then she turned back to stare at the foot of the bed again, taking in the gleaming, polished wood of the footboard. The woods of Tara were so much more beautiful. "Please leave."

"I'll leave this here, if you change your mind." Butler was silent as he got up and walked to the room door. He stopped for a second in the doorway. "For what it's worth," he said. "I am sorry." His next words were uncomfortable coming out. "I know I should have done more to try to stop him." His heart stopped for a second when Holly nodded, not looking up at him. He didn't know if she had accepted his apologies or forgiven him, but at least she heard him. He felt strangely relaxed when he closed the door.

xXxXx

Artemis frowned when heard the knock at the door. He'd told both Butler and Juliet to leave him alone, so that must be his mother. He had been anticipating a visit from her, but he did not look forward to it. Especially not in these circumstances; by now, no doubt she'd heard that Holly was not eating anything. "Come in, Mother."

Angeline opened the room and stepped in, looking rather nervous. "Why didn't you come down for lunch?" she asked.

"I wasn't hungry," Artemis responded, briefly, not looking up from his computer.

"Apparantly, Holly wasn't hungry, either."

Artemis stopped what he was doing and looked up at his mother. "Isn't that a coincidence," he said, drily.

"Are you not eating because she's not eating or is she not eating because you're not eating?" Angeline asked, looking around the room.

"I'm not eating because I had a late breakfast," Artemis muttered, growing exasperated. He turned back to his computer. "She's not eating because she's mourning. As you yourself recognized, people deal with tragedies in different ways."

"It's up to people who care about us to step in and do something when the way we deal with tragedies becomes hazardous to our health," Angeline said. She stopped short when she saw that her son had frozen at his desk. He still didn't look up at her though. "She's a young, growing girl who needs nutrition. Please talk to her."

"No."

"Why not?" Angeline asked. She winced when she heard herself; she'd come off sounding like a whiny child.

Artemis hesitated before he responded. The explanation wasn't what one would call simple. Or sane, for that matter. "It's complicated."

"Even Butler tried talking to her," Angeline continued. She missed the incredulous and irritated look Artemis gave her then. "And it doesn't sound like he was as close to her as you were."

"Butler spoke to her?"

This time, Angeline caught Artemis' annoyed tone. She frowned, the words 'testosterone much?' occurring to her as she turned to face her son. "Yes. Was he not supposed to?"

"No," Artemis stated. He lightly drummed his fingers against his desk. "It's a very thin line I'm walking here. I would greatly appreciate it if everyone was to understand that."

"What 'thin line?'" Angeline asked, frowning. "Is this about the fight you two had?"

"It's hard to explain." But, Artemis got up and left the room before his mother could ask him anything else.

Artemis almost forgot to knock before he entered Holly's room. He did knock, but he didn't wait for a response before he opened the door and went in. Holly was still sitting up in the middle of the bed, the lunch tray untouched beside her. She met his eyes for a second before she turned to stare out of the window. He closed the door behind him, invoking another brief, yet wary glance from the fairy when he locked it. Artemis followed Holly's gaze to the window before he fixed his eyes on her. "What are you going to do, Holly? Jump out of it?"

Artemis was a tad surprised when she answered. He had been under the impression that she wouldn't speak to anyone. "What would you do if I tried to, Artemis? Lock me up in the basement again?"

Artemis started walking toward the side of the bed, trying hard to keep the irritation out of his voice. "Keep pushing me," he dared her. "We'll find out sooner than later."

Holly was as calm as ever when she responded, her voice honestly curious. "Push you how?"

"Why haven't you eaten anything?" Artemis asked, studying her profile. Holly only shrugged. She was still staring out of the window. The sunlight played across her auburn hair, lightening it to a vibrant red. "You must be angry." He inwardly smirked in triumph when she finally turned to face him. Artemis sat down at the edge of her bed, taking a deep breath and finding cold comfort in the steel that surrounded him. "I just want to know who you're angry at. More so, I mean. Who is the bigger devil to you? The Council or myself?"

Holly stared at him for a second, never breaking her gaze from his. "The Council never kidnapped me."

"No, they just-" Artemis' lip curled. "Set you free. Did they not?"

Holly couldn't reply. She barely understood what he was saying.

Artemis continued, never once faltering. "What bothered you before I abducted you? Dishonesty? Unequal treatment? What hurt you? What did you hate? I never apologize for anything, Holly. Because I never regret anything I do. I can't say I'm sorry I abducted you."

Holly almost looked away, but she had frozen, almost as if under the Mesmer. He meant this, she realized. He honestly was not sorry about kidnapping her; about ruining her life.

"I am, however, sorry about what the Council has done," Artemis suddenly said. "I was looking forward to seeing you again, Holly, but I always thought I'd see you across a battlefield." He paused, and a small smile flickered across his lips. "If I could have had it my way, I would have had you at my side." He acknowledged the surprised, suspicious look he got then with another wry smile. "You are skilled. You are sly. Witty. You think well on your feet." He paused for a second. He didn't sound amused when he uttered his next words. "Trust me when I tell you that no one has ever, in my life, left me speechless. Before you came along."

Holly couldn't help but smile at the memory. That had been a wonderful moment.

Artemis suddenly reached out a little, almost as if he were about to place a comforting hand over hers, but let it drop an inch away from her feet. "Holly, you can't blame me for the Council exiling you."

Holly furrowed her eyebrows. "Why not?" she asked, simply. "If you hadn't kidnapped me - "

Artemis laughed, shortly. "I've been doing my research. Foaly's computers are not as secure as he likes to believe." The brief smile that had played across his face waned into a small quirk of his lips that was little more than sneer. "I know all about you. About everything you had to go through and put up with to get where you had gotten. The first female in Recon history – it must have angered a few people."

Holly sat up straighter. "What are you saying?" her voice was quiet. She wasn't angry anymore, just curious. Something about his words stroked a familiar fire at the pit of her stomach – the fire that pushed her to run the extra mile, to lift the extra weight, to show up anyone who ever looked down on her.

"You didn't deserve to be exiled, Holly," Artemis said. He gave her a darkly satisfied look; one that said there was no refuting what he was saying. "You were their scapegoat. They wanted you out of the LEP and they wanted someone to blame. You and I both know it." He leaned forward a little, his midnight eyes darkening with intensity. "The question is: What are you going to do about it?"

Holly didn't look away from him. "What are you saying?"

Artemis got up, preparing to leave. "I'm saying you should eat something."

Holly waited a long moment after Artemis left, while she processed their conversation. Had she been judged unfairly? Because she dared to defy tradition? Because she dared to be herself? Finally, she sighed a little before picking up the fork.

xXxXx

A/n

…What are you up to, Arty?

As for what I asked you all two weeks ago… _"You really think I could just let you walk away?"_ was a line from Smallville. Lex said it to Lana in one of the worst Lexana scenes ever, which still makes Lexana fans wince whenever they see it. Lexana reminds me of Artemis/Holly, too. Yeah, Lex is bald, but it's not all about the hair. He's a billionaire criminal mastermind, who was severely affected by his father's criminal life and his mother's death. Lana set up the Isis Foundation, which is designed to help people in need. Especially those affected by crime. Namely by Luthor Corp. Yup. Also, in the later seasons, she gets guns and kicks butt. :D Go Lana.

The nightshirt thing will become more obvious as the fic goes on. :P

For those interested, I still have NOT figured out my password.

This week's questions:

1) Chapter title's significance?

2) What's Arty up to?


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer- All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

xXxXxXxXx

Author's Note:

Super sorry for this chapter's lateness. I actually had an accident with this chapter: I typed out so much, but then my (non-genius) six-year-old sister closed the thing w/o saving it. … What part of "Don't touch my computer" can't she understand??? Stupid kids…

Anyways…

Once again: Exams have started, so updates will be slow, until April 25th.

Luv

Creatress

xXxXxXxXx

Persephone's Crown

Chapter 5 – If Only, If Only…

"Oh, thank God!" Juliet's loud exclamation upon her entrance was greeted with inertia from Holly. The bodyguard-in-training didn't mind though; she hadn't expected Holly to greet her with hugs and kisses either. However, she was pleased that Holly had eaten. "You were beginning to worry my brother, eh, Holly." She bounced in and picked up the tray before taking a good look at the redhead.

Holly still had not budged from her place in the middle of the bed. She was still staring out the window.

Juliet looked around Holly to the open window. "What is so interesting out there?" she asked. She sighed, not expecting a response. She stood still for a second, feeling that awkward buzz around her again. "So… Like, call me if you need anything." She took another glance at Holly's profile before she left. Maybe Holly had been pointedly ignoring her or maybe she truly was lost in her thoughts, but for the one second Juliet observed her, the other girl looked bored.

xXxXx

Artemis was not surprised to see the new, unread message waiting for him – or, rather, for Butler. The space where the sender's name should be was taken up with a line of dashes, but the dashes may as well have come together to form a picture of a half man-half horse for how quickly Foaly's name came to Artemis' mind.

Artemis was actually impressed that the centaur had managed to contact Butler so soon. And by email – how clever. If the Council had managed to find anyone smart enough to trace Foaly's communication methods, they'd be too hung up on the new high-tech gadgets to even consider that the centaur had stooped down to the level of using the ancient method of email.

Artemis clicked on the message title – 'Untitled' – and the message appeared on the screen. It was just like Foaly – short, sarcastic and to the point.

_The Council is going crazy trying to find her, but no one suspects that she's on the surface. Even if they do, I doubt anyone is keen to face your master again. Either way, you are all safe. It may be a while before I can contact you again, but I will if something of concern to you might arise._

_Remember what you promised Mulch and myself._

_Please tell Holly that she is in our thoughts._

Artemis frowned at the message before he deleted it. What could that promise have been? Could it be something that might affect Butler's duties toward him?

Artemis set about erasing the message from the folder that held onto deleted messages before he set about getting rid of any ghosts it may have left in cyberspace. He was never one to do anything halfway.

Artemis then starting putting in a program to block everyone's inboxes from taking any messages from Haven. He would have to do something about telephones, too. If Foaly wanted to speak to anyone in the manor, he would speak to Artemis and Artemis alone. It may quite possibly prove detrimental to allow private communications to take place across enemy lines at this point. It might throw all of his plans off course. For example, Artemis had just decided that Holly will not be informed that she was 'in their thoughts.'

As soon as Artemis sensed the thought form, he stopped and stilled. Killing the only contact between Holly and the only home she ever knew? That was decidedly cruel.

Artemis rubbed his forehead. It will work out in the end. The ends always justified the means – Holly wouldn't suffer forever. Besides, she had a new home now, and soon, she would have a new allegiance.

Artemis was interrupted by his cell phone vibrating. He picked it, and saw that it was from Juliet's security communications device. "Yes, Juliet?"

Juliet didn't respond immediately, and when she did, she sounded a little sheepish. "Umm, you know how, like, Holly's here? For good?"

Artemis started to say 'yes' before he paused. Was anything ever certain? He shut out the guilt that threatened to attack him. "Yes, Juliet, Holly's here for good. What about it?"

"The thing is, Arty, she's kinda been cooped up in there all morning…" Juliet trailed off, stammering a little. "There's nothing much for her to _do_ in there, but I don't know what to do for her. She won't really talk to me. And my brother's on his rounds. I… I just kinda feel sorry for her, you know?"

Artemis pulled up the security feed onto his computer, wondering if his mother was holding up flash cards for Juliet to read off of. He raised an eyebrow when he saw that Juliet was quite far away from his mother. "I'll speak to Holly shortly."

Juliet was silent for a second. "Really?" she asked, a little disbelievingly.

Artemis sighed, heavily. "Really," he said, slowly.

"Great!" Juliet exclaimed. "TTYL!"

Artemis put his cell phone down when the line went dead. Even Juliet – Juliet, who'd wanted so much to pile drive Holly a few weeks ago - was starting to look out for her. He finished putting the programs in place before he got up.

xXx

Holly hadn't budged from her place in the middle of the bed when Artemis entered her room. She did acknowledge his presence, however. "Don't you knock?" she asked without taking her gaze away from the window. She could have been talking about the weather.

Artemis smirked. He had just wanted to test her – to see if she'd react to his disrespect. "I apologize. It's not often that I have guests I check up on so often."

Holly raised her eyebrows and her lips curved into a bitter smile. "I suppose I should feel special then."

Artemis inclined his head before he starting walking toward the window to Holly's left. "Yes, I suppose so, too." He pulled the white blinds shut over the glass before he leaned casually against the wall, turning back to the fairy.

Holly frowned. "Why did you close the blinds? I like natural light."

Artemis answered, his tone as serious as ever. "I'm afraid you might consider jumping out of the window, just because there's nothing else to do."

Holly only stared at him. "What are you talking about?" she finally asked after a second of silence.

Artemis quickly glanced around the room. "You've been here all day," he said. "One would think you would grow bored."

Holly quirked a shoulder, shifting her eyes around the room for a second. "I guess I had a lot to think about."

Artemis smirked. "A million dollars for your thoughts?" When Holly furrowed her eyebrows and frowned at him, he chuckled softly. "Fine, I'll accept that was uncalled for."

Holly didn't answer for a second. Then, she turned away from him to stare at the footboard. There was something calming in the simplicity of the dark wood, and the even darker barely-there lines that adorned it. She sighed a little. "What do you want?" she asked him.

"I just came to see if you needed anything," Artemis responded, readily. "Something to pass the time with if when you get bored with your own thoughts." He paused for a second. "Do you read?"

Holly pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees. "I'm illiterate," she said.

Artemis sighed, sounding a little frustrated, but there was the slightest trace of amusement somewhere in his voice. He sauntered over to the bed and sat down directly in front of her, but kept his eyes on the windows that were now obstructed by blinds. "Why must you make everything so difficult, Holly?"

Holly only shrugged.

Artemis frowned a little, but said nothing. It would not do to tell her that she was acting like a petulant child; probably because she was well within her rights to act however she wanted after her ordeal. So he only sat still, looking at, but not really seeing, the blinds as he lost himself in his thoughts as she lost herself in hers. Soon, a rather comfortable silence overcame them.

Was he moving too fast? Artemis was still unsure of what pace he should go at. Being too distant would not work; even though that's what came the easiest to him. Being overtly friendly would not work; not only would it not work, she could easily tell that he was acting. Psychology texts and books gave chapters and chapters of information and advice on how to deal with people who've lost everything, but Holly just… Didn't fit with any of the victims types listed. She was different; she was Case X. A whole team of doctors probably would not be able to figure her out.

'However,' Artemis thought with an inward smirk. 'I am not a team of doctors.' The moment he chose to steal a glance at her was the moment Holly met his eyes, as well.

"Why do you still want me here?" Holly didn't sound desperate for escape like she had the last time she had asked him this question. She sounded curious. "I've lost my magic; I couldn't heal a scratch, let alone any wound that might be worth any attention. What use am I to you?"

Artemis was ready with a response. He smiled, and turned back to the window. "Your past, Holly. The Three Musketeers saved you before the Council erased your past. Our memories not only make us who we; they can prove to be our greatest weapons. Butler has a strength in the contacts he's made in his past, for example." He smirked a little here. "To you and I, at this moment, our memories are our greatest assets." He looked away for a second. "And yours are no doubt greater than mine." He turned back to Holly to look her in the eyes. "You're not worthless, Holly."

Holly watched him carefully. "Your mind isn't your greatest asset?"

Artemis chuckled a little, his rare moment of kindness dissolving into a memory that Holly would think back to in the future. "My memories make up my mind. So does my intelligence. My intelligence is not an asset, however – it's a need. I would rather be dead than stupid."

Holly did not respond to that. She probably had known that before. She was still for a second before she finally smiled a little. "I never liked The Three Musketeers," she suddenly said, her voice soft.

Artemis looked at her in surprise. He realized that she must mean the book, not Butler, Mulch and Foaly. "You read it?"

"I stopped halfway," Holly shrugged.

Artemis looked at her, curiously. "Are there any man-made books you do enjoy?" he asked, carefully.

Holly shrugged again. "I read two others," she replied. "The other books I read were all Gnommish." She paused for a second. "Midsummer Night's Dream and Holes. By Louis Sachar." She didn't notice how much her answer pleased the genius.

Artemis had been steeling himself, expecting the worst, like the Harry Potter series or – God forbid – Twilight. He smiled a little. "Holes was incredible," he allowed.

"What do you mean by incredible?" Holly asked, frowning a little.

Artemis got up from the bed. "Many good lessons to learn in that book," he said, simply. "I'll have them sent up as soon as I can."

Holly smiled a little. "Don't bother," she suddenly said. "I've already read them. And I haven't grown tired of my thoughts yet."

Artemis looked at her for a second and then inclined his head in a short nod. "In any case. You will have to leave this room sooner or later," he told her. "You are free to explore the manor and the grounds."

Holly raised her eyebrows, growing a little suspicious by the sudden freedom he was granting her. "Really?" she asked.

Artemis turned away a little, but held her gaze. A part of him wondered if she still needed to obey his orders in his dwelling. "I forbid you to leave the property," he added. He suddenly felt too tired to deal with the glare she sent his way then, and turned, walking toward the door.

There was something that had been gnawing at the back of Holly's mind for the last few minutes. A conflicting thought said that she should keep quiet; that she should let it go and enjoy the miniscule amount of peace she had just built with her former captor. But the voice had the tone of a speeding pixie she might have pulled over, some long time ago – it was desperate. Too desperate, betraying its wrongness. "What if I had been mindwiped?"

Artemis turned to face her. He was two feet away from the door. "There are ways to cheat mindwipes." He spoke again before she responded by fixing her gaze with his. "Don't tell me I couldn't, Holly."

Holly smiled a little, sadly. "I wasn't going to tell you that."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Somehow, I think you would have overcome my mindwipe the way you escaped the blue rinse."

Artemis studied her expression. "And this saddens you…?" he questioned. Then, he answered his own question. He furrowed his eyebrows, and gave her a rather cold, empty smile. "If only, if only…" He was gone before Holly could make sense of what he meant.

xXxXxXx

Angeline walked purposely down the corridor, half deaf to Butler's pleadings. Some of them got to her, but her will was too strong. She was too much of a mother – she needed to know about the only friend her son has ever had.

"Holly's never been good at meeting people before," Butler was saying. "And that was before her accident. I can almost guarantee that she won't receive you well."

"Unless you can _certainly_ guarantee it, I'll take a chance," Angeline responded. "Juliet said she ate lunch without complaint. That means she's settling in."

Butler looked a little pained. "I doubt that's it."

Angeline huffed. "She needs to know there are people who care about her."

Butler sighed, heavily. "When I spoke to her earlier, I got the impression that she needs space."

Angeline shook her head. "Children? Need space? I understand wanting a few moments to yourself, but not for this long. A child loses her family, we can't let her wallow in her loneliness. An adult? Perhaps. But a social support system is integral to handling a mourning child."

Butler had been played into a corner. There was no viable way to respond to that without angering Artemis or Holly or – worse – both of them. "Fine," he surrendered.

Angeline gave him a bright, comforting smile and laid a hand on his arm. "You're a bodyguard, Domovoi," she sighed. "The only child you've handled for a long time is Artemis. Have you even Googled what Holly might be feeling right now?" A bit of soft laughter escaped her then.

Butler rolled his eyes a little. The laugh wasn't about him – for some reason, Angeline found the word "Googled" funny. "No, I haven't," he admitted. When he looked at her again, Angeline had forgotten her inside joke and looked as sober as she had a second ago.

"I don't know what I'm doing," Angeline admitted. "But I'm going with a gut instinct, backed by a few professional websites. I just don't think she…" Her voice trailed off, and she looked off to the side. She frowned a little. "You know she's old enough to remember her mother?" she suddenly asked.

Butler frowned, worriedly. "You have no idea," he muttered, thinking back to the information Artemis had given him. Dr. Short had been the victim of human activity as well. The LEP records he'd hacked into had not given them much information, but the available files were enough. For now, anyway. "I don't think you should mention her mother."

Angeline nodded, her frown deepening. "I know that," she said. She looked a little hesitant. "I'm not going to try to… To…"

"Step into the role?" Butler asked. "Good idea. Don't." He paused, then added, "Trust me." He frowned when he saw the look on Angeline's face then and felt a twinge of sadness. Bursting Angeline's bubble, while necessary, almost made him feel as bad as lying to her. He sighed, already regretting what he was about to do. "Angeline?"

"Yes?" Angeline asked, snapping out of her thoughts.

Butler smiled, a little warily. "Googled." As expected, Angeline smiled, giggling a little. The moment only lasted for a few seconds, however. "Go ahead and say hi," he finally said.

Angeline grinned up at him. She patted his arm again. "If something goes wrong and Arty throws a tantrum, I'm telling him you supported this." Before he could reply, she opened the door and stepped into Holly's room.

At first, Angeline was struck still by the sight of the girl – she hadn't known what she was anticipating, so the girl on the bed was not a disappointment nor was she better than any expectations. All Angeline could think was that she was quite pretty. Her smooth skin reminded the older woman of light, creamy latte, but her hair was probably her most beautiful feature – a rich shade of dark red. Her almond shaped eyes, a shade of deep chocolate, flecked with emerald, were now locked with hers.

As soon as Holly looked into her eyes, Angeline grew more nervous than she'd felt before. She couldn't think of anything she was supposed to say, and it suddenly struck her how ill-prepared she was. She wasn't good with kids. She would deem herself a good mother, but with Artemis as your son, who could tell?

Angeline was snapped out of her thoughts by the soft click of the door closing behind her. She was decidedly more nervous now that she was alone with Holly. She took a breath and then reminded herself of who the girl was. She smiled warmly then. "Hello, Holly. I'm Angeline; Arty's mom. He might have told you about me…" The puzzled look that crossed Holly's face silenced her for a few seconds, but Angeline found that she didn't mind. She sighed a little and walked to the side of Holly bed, where she perched down on the edge.

Holly didn't seem to mind. She was staring at the foot of the bed, her eyebrows a little furrowed. Somewhere in the depths of her brown eyes, there was a hint of panic.

"You must be scared," Angeline suddenly said, quietly, playing with the slight stitching of the white quilt. "I wish we could have met in… Different circumstances." She looked up and almost touched Holly's shoulder like she would have done to any other child, but something stopped her. Instead she only gave the redhead a small, sad smile. "But I just really wanted to see you. Artemis cares about you – we all care about you. I know you must feel alone right now." She paused for a second before turning back to the quilt. "Trust me. You probably already know this, but my hus… Well, Arty's father." She faltered a little. She still couldn't bring herself to say that he was dead. "We lost him recently," she finally said. "I - " She was interrupted by a sound that was halfway between a sigh and a barely audible utterance of a word. She looked up at Holly quizzically, and her eyebrows shot up.

Holly's eyes were wide with panic and glazed over with tears. She had also contracted into herself, keeping her arms tight beside her torso. She was still staring at the foot of the bed.

Angeline finally touched Holly's arm. "Holly?" she asked. "Are you alright?" She hadn't accidentally made a mourning girl even sadder by reminding her of her best friend's loss, too, had she?

Holly took a second to respond, and it was obvious that it was a struggle for her to speak. She sighed again, and this time, her breath formed a name. "Artemis…"

Angeline looked at her. "Artemis?" she asked, to be certain. "You want Artemis?"

Holly squeezed her eyes shut suddenly, causing a tear to slide down her cheek. She spoke again, her voice even more silent, more hesitant and faltering than before. "Please…"

"Okay. Okay," Angeline murmured before she left Holly to jog to the door. She was about to call for Butler, but as soon as she opened the door, she was greeted with the sight of her son standing in the corridor.

"I take it, it didn't go so well?" Artemis asked, drily when Angeline stepped out.

Angeline chose not to answer him. "Get in there. She needs you," she said, grabbing his arm and pushing him into the room and closing the door.

As soon as Artemis saw the state Holly was in, he frowned and walked quickly to the side of the bed where his mother had sat down a few seconds ago. "What's wrong?" he demanded. "Are you in pain?" When Holly shook her head, he frowned. "Was it something my mother said?"

Holly opened her eyes then, and the way she looked at him made Artemis realize that something was terribly wrong. Her eyes looked almost bloodshot, but the pure anguish in them would have cut through a heart made of the hardest stone. She finally spoke, her voice faltering around her native language; the Gnommish language. The language Artemis had spent every fibre of his being to decode, the language Juliet and Butler spoke to each other in to practice, the language they all used to communicate with Holly. Until now. "I didn't understand a single word she said…"

xXxXxXxXxXx

Author's Note

I should seriously be studying right now… (headdesk)

Hope you enjoyed that chapter. Give me your two cents:

If Arty were to translate some books into Gnommish for Holly, which would he choose? (Translation: the Creatress' reading list is getting a little short. :P)

REVIEW!!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer- All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

xXxXxXxXx

Author's Note:

This chapter has been a long time coming. I'd no school, but that just meant I had no place to work, as I have the monster of all technical difficulties to work through. Gah. So sorry. You all still love me, right? ;)

Luv

Creatress

xXxXxXxXx

Persephone's Crown

Chapter 6 – First-name Basis

"Leave me."

Artemis didn't move. "No," he answered, a little harshly, snapping out of the daze he had slipped into. His mind was going into overdrive, throwing problems and solutions wildly from nerve to nerve. Needless to say, this complicated things. Holly turned to look up at him, her eyes oddly blank now, and Artemis made a decision. "I'll bring up some books on learning the English language, along with the others. You'll just have to relearn." _For now._ For now, Artemis thought again, his thoughts starting to wonder. The Gift of Tongues used the least, most miniscule amount of magic. Could there still be a way… His gaze ran over her locks of hair that fell over her ears.

Holly shuddered a little, feeling completely out of touch. This had to be a nightmare. Any hope she had of making it in the world outside of Fowl Manor disappeared like a taunting dream in the harsh reality. She couldn't leave; she had absolutely no chance for survival. No way to get work, to build her own life. Holly raised her eyes to look at Artemis again, and she suddenly felt dirty. It was one thing to be held prisoner here, another to be… To be so… _Dependant_. If she had said it, the word would have left a sour taste in her mouth. 'To be kept.'

To Holly's fortune, Artemis did not notice her discomfort. He was already walking toward the door. Once he reached it, he turned around a little, looking sideways at her out of the corner of his eye. "I'll tell my mother that you won't talk because you're mourning. I assume that's why you're not talking to Juliet, either?" When Holly didn't reply, he scowled a little and left.

Holly felt sick to her stomach when Artemis left. She was overcome with emotion and a strange intense energy that she didn't know what to do with. At least, with him here, she had something to focus on, someone to hate. Now, she was all over the place, not knowing what to think about, what to worry about, and it hurt her. She glanced around the room, almost shaking, looking for a way to let it all out. She wanted to do something, anything, to let it all out. She wanted to break something.

Instead, Holly turned and threw her face into the large, overstuffed pillow. Burying her face into it so that she could hardly breathe, she screamed, her voice muffled. It only served to remind her of the lost gift of tongue, and she screamed again, in hurt anguish. When her lungs finally burned enough to force her to breathe again, she burst into tears as soon as she inhaled. What else was there left to do?

xXxXxXx

Butler was nervous. He wasn't sure what it was about, but he was nervous. His instincts were telling him that something was off, but he couldn't quite put a finger on this. So, he did everything he could do – he checked the cameras and the perimeters before picking up a pair of light 5lb dumbbells along with the mail to take to Artemis' room.

Artemis' room was soundproof, but somehow Butler thought he could make out the furious pounding of keys as he neared it. But then he listened carefully again, but all he heard this time was the ringing silence of the dark hallway. Almost shrugging outwardly, the bodyguard knocked twice on his principal's door. There was a short pause – in which, Butler felt himself being watched on Artemis' feed of security – before a light buzz sounded.

"Come in," Artemis voice called from inside the room.

Butler quietly entered the room, shutting the door behind him. He held up the items in his hands. "Mail…" He placed the few parcels and letters down on a side table. He then held up the dumbbells. "And it's also time to acknowledge that physical wellbeing does actually help somewhat in this world and business."

Artemis didn't move from the large, leather swivel chair and he didn't chuckle at his bodyguard's dry attempt at humour. He frowned at the parcels, and then his eyes wandered to the dumbbells before his frown deepened somewhat. For a few seconds, there was silence, broken only by the constant hum of the laser printer in the background – a laser printer that, Butler suddenly noticed, was ejecting large amounts of paper, all lined with Gnommish writing.

"Please, sir," Butler began. He always found himself making this same speech every other day when he would have to beg his employer to do a few sets. "The troll - " Butler was interrupted by a silent wave of Artemis' hand. This was unexpected. Butler watched, intrigued as Artemis got up, shrugged his jacket off and unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt. Usually, it took a long-winded speech about the horror of the troll attack to get Artemis to move. He had been right earlier – something _was_ wrong.

Artemis took the dumbbells from Butler and started the first set of flies without even being asked. "Holly has lost the gift of tongues," he said, sounding casual.

Butler felt something get knocked out of his gut. "She… She can't speak…?"

"No," Artemis answered, curtly.

"How is she doing at the moment?" Butler asked, faltering a little around his words.

"She was visibly upset when I left her earlier," Artemis replied. His lip curled a little. "But I could only guess as to what she's feeling. She's rather private."

Butler watched Artemis carefully. "You're upset that she won't open up to you," he guessed, stabbing experimentally at a place that was very dimly lit.

Artemis stopped for a second before continuing on with the exercise. "I'm frustrated," he corrected.

Butler looked confused. "She's been here for half a day. Why would you expect her to open up to you so soon? You – and I – did kidnap her."

Artemis' eyes suddenly darkened with disturbance, and his voice was cold when he answered. "Maybe I should lock her in the cell again and wait for Stockholm Syndrome to kick in."

A shudder almost shook through Butler, but the man managed to stay still. He didn't respond, either. There was no way to deal with his boss when he got into one of his moods.

Artemis finished his second set of flies and moved onto curl-ups. "It would take less time than what I'm trying to do now," he scowled, looking almost like he was thinking out loud to himself. But a second later, he sighed a little. "But her psyche might be too fragile to experiment with at the moment."

Butler stared toward the printer again. The pages were being bound by the machine in a laminated cover. He didn't want to hear what Artemis was thinking. It was becoming increasingly difficult to goad the genius into having a sense of compassion. It hadn't been so hard before Holly came along. The giant man sighed a little and turned back to his principal. "Sir, please," he said, again. "This is… This is like mental torture."

Artemis paused, but didn't reply. He did smile a little, though, and, as wry as it was, it was still a smile. "Torture, Butler?" he asked. "You're losing your edge."

Butler furrowed his eyebrows. Yes, he too had a sadistic side, but it was very deep within him. He only experienced bouts of bloodlust when dealing with particularly annoying enemies. But the girl down the hall was another story. "Please don't hurt her, sir," he said.

Artemis didn't answer. "There should be two separate files that were just made," he said, nodding toward the printer. In the blue is a guide to learning English, and in the red is a story I thought she might enjoy." He set the dumbbells down and started taking off his shirt. "Please take them to her."

Butler heard his dismissal. "Yes, sir," he muttered, picking up the files.

xXxXxXx

Holly stepped out of her room and looked around the hall, both ways. At first glance, she only looked curious, and a little annoyed, but the depth of her brown eyes gave away that she looked very much like a scared child who was about to cross the street by herself for the first time. She couldn't stay in her room any longer; it was too pretty and white to be a cell, so it only made her think of a cell in disguise. The walls had started pulsing and shrinking.

Holly closed the door and looked around, wondering which way she should go. She was not familiar with the upper levels of the manor, as all the action she'd experienced on her first trip had taken place of the lower levels. Her lip curled, as a sudden surge of hatred and disgust flew through her.

Her anatomy was still that of a fairy, so Holly's ear picked up the sound of Butler's footsteps before he turned the corner.

Butler almost dropped the two dumbbells and the files when he saw Holly. For a second, he could have missed her. She blended into surprisingly well into the surroundings, but then, there was something about her that was noticeable. Striking, _attractive_. He suddenly wondered what kind of a girl she'd been at school and at work.

Butler was not as much an expert on psychology as Artemis, and he wasn't an expert on people in general, either. But through a lifetime of observations, he knew that, while there were many kind of people, there were… Certain groups that carried certain traits. There were popular people, who could socialize and be everyone's best friend. There were loners, who would rather be by themselves and their thoughts, much like himself. There were persuaders, the persuaded, the cheaters, the cheated, …

Then, there was that other group of people, the rare kind. Holly sometimes struck Butler as this type of girl. They weren't popular because half of the crowd hated them, and they weren't shunned because the other half of the crowd loved them. They were either accepted as excellence and revered for it, or shot down because of that same element and despised for it. But no one ever felt nothing toward them. They were the kind of people who simply could not be ignored.

Had Holly been one of these people? Had she been one of those girls who simply walked into a room and everyone stopped what they were doing just because she'd entered?

"How did you know my name?" It took Butler a second to realize that the question had come from his own throat.

Holly shrugged, her emotionless brown eyes fixed on the items in his arms. "Foaly," she answered simply.

Butler frowned, wondering which database would have his first name on record. The thought unsettled him. He forced himself to concentrate on the girl – the fairy? – in front of him. "You're up," he remarked.

"So are you," Holly remarked, her voice a little dry.

Butler held up the two files. "I brought two books. One is…" He trailed off when Holly looked away from him to stare around the corridor. He wasn't sure if she was paying attention or not. "Why don't I give you a tour?" he suddenly found himself offering.

Holly didn't respond for a second. Then the corner of her mouth twitched, but her eyes were too dark for it to be a smile. "That would be nice."

"I may just put these away?" Butler asked, holding up the files. When Holly stepped away from the door, he quickly went into her room. He put the two translated books on her bedside table and left. As he closed the door, he suddenly thought of something. "What's Foaly's first name?"

Holly only raised an eyebrow.

Butler cleared his throat, suddenly uncomfortable, but there was a persistent nagging between his eyebrows. He hated not knowing anything about a situation that he was dealing with. "I know Mulch Diggums, because Foaly briefly told me about him when we were planning…" His voice trailed off. One glance into Holly's eyes told him that she knew, so he continued. "But I don't know Foaly's name."

Holly didn't reply for a second. She looked thoughtful, as if debating the merits of telling Butler Foaly's first name. Then she smiled an empty smile before she met Butler's eyes again. "When are you going to start the tour?"

xXxXx

Two surprises hit Artemis back to back, as if the universe had decided to play a dumb, yet effectively annoying joke on him. He never really liked surprises, and he wasn't sure which one of these to pay attention to first. As soon as he'd picked up the small package in the mail and realized that it was mailed from Russia, his computer sounded with an alert that told him that Foaly was calling.

Artemis quickly set the package down so that he could go to his computer. In his experience, he'd found that Foaly was much more impatient than any nameless Russian.

Artemis sat down in his large, leather swivel chair, slipping a wireless headset onto his ear and opening a secure connection. "Foaly," he said, by way of greeting. "I hadn't expected you to call so soon."

There was only silence for a second. And then, Foaly's voice came over the connection, its usual smooth tenure lost. "Fowl? How… Where's Butler?"

"I'm afraid Butler won't be able to come to the phone right now," Artemis answered, dryly. "Or ever, as the case may be."

There was another moment of pause. "What do you mean?" Foaly sounded calm, but there was an edge to his voice that hadn't been there a second ago. "What happened to him?"

"Nothing's happened to him, Foaly," Artemis answered, raising an eyebrow at the centaur's reaction. He hadn't communicated with Foaly much during the Fowl Manor Siege, but he hadn't taken the other genius to be one who was fazed easily. This brought Foaly down a few notches in Artemis' mind. "You just won't be able to speak to him for a while, is all. You nor Mulch Diggums."

"What's happened to Holly?"

"Holly is fine," Artemis answered, shortly.

There was another pause before Foaly spoke again, sounding more than a little irritated now. "I don't suppose we could speak to her, either?"

"No," Artemis answered. Before Foaly could comment, he continued. "Now, I'm actually in the middle of something important - " the package on the table behind in came to mind " - so I'll have to end this conversation. I will, however, contact you shortly. Until then, just sit tight and don't do anything stupid."

"Contact me?" Foaly asked. "About what?"

Artemis didn't answer. He terminated the connection, and turned around to reach for the package from Russia. He practically tore it apart, his heart almost lurching to a stop when he saw that there was only a simple disc inside.

xXxXxXx

"This is the dojo," Butler announced, opening the door.

Holly followed Butler into the large, empty room and stared around, a surge of awe and pleasure starting to come to life inside of her.

Butler saw the inner athlete, the _warrior_ struggling for breath inside Holly. She was, after all, a lot like him and he could easily recognize one of his own kind. She had been beaten down for the past few weeks, in the cell and in the guest bedroom upstairs, but her eyes were now suddenly brighter. "Traditionally, the Japanese used dojos for martial arts training alone, but Juliet and I turned this into a sort of multi-purpose training room," Butler continued, watching Holly carefully and hoping to ignite something in her again.

Holly's eyes travelled over the wooden floor, partially matted, to the targets hung up on the walls. The slight twitch of her right hand before Holly squashed her fingers into a fist didn't go unnoticed by Butler.

The bodyguard was already hurrying to a door at the side. Holly wasn't following him anymore, but that was okay. "Over here, is a small room… Juliet calls it the gun room." He opened it and flipped the light switch on. He grabbed a small gun off a shelf before making his way back to the redhead in the middle of the room. "The whole west wall is padded, so that we can practice shooting at targets there. That's why all the targets are there…"

Butler was well aware that this situation can end slightly well or in his death. If luck was really against him today, Holly might as well shoot him before gunning down the rest of the people in the house. Or, if she chose to simply shoot the targets, enjoy herself and improve her relationship with him, Artemis would probably find out that Butler had handed a firearm to a mentally torn woman who probably wanted the genius dead and he'd be fired. This didn't stop Butler from coming to a halt in front of Holly and holding out the gun to her. Maybe if she did become more comfortable with him because of this, he could beg her not to tell Artemis.

Holly didn't take the gun right away. First, she stared at Butler, with suspicious, probing eyes, wondering what he was playing at. Obviously, she'd thought of the same risk factors that he had. A long moment passed before she finally reached out and took the gun.

Butler inwardly swallowed as Holly stared at the weapon in her hand. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, what that slight at the corner of her lips meant. Suddenly, she turned to the west wall, raised the gun with both hands and fired.

Butler wasn't surprised at the small hole that appeared right in the middle of the innermost red circle. But, apparently, Holly was. She didn't react but to close her eyes for a second and smile slightly, but Butler saw, in that one second, exactly how she felt now. He saw her relief – that she still had something of herself, something she remembered and could call her own. He saw her pleasure, her peace, and most importantly, he saw the fighter in her finally inhale. He also felt a weight lift from his shoulders – he had redeemed himself a little.

Holly raised the gun again and shot another bullet, about a centimeter above the last one. There was a small smile on her lips now as she mumbled something.

"I beg your pardon?" Butler asked, unable to keep from smiling himself.

Holly turned to him, and there was forgiveness and acceptance in her eyes. "Troy," she said, simply before turning back to face the target.

"Troy?" Butler asked, puzzled.

Holly didn't turn to him, but only nodded as she aimed to take another shot. "Troy."

Butler didn't understand. Then he thought of Troy, the place that went to war against Sparta in the Trojan War. All at once, it hit him, and he couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face. If he needed proof that Holly had truly accepted him on one level or another, than this was it. "Foaly's first name is Troy."

xXxXxXx

Artemis only picked up the phone when he realized the ringing won't stop if he kept ignoring it. "Yes, Butler?" he snapped, clicking pause on the video that was playing on the computer.

"Your mother is calling you down for dinner," Butler said, a pleading note in his voice.

"Send it up," Artemis replied, his voice curt. His eyes scanned the frozen picture, taking in every pixel as if it were a prized possession.

"Sir, please… What is wrong? You've been locked up in your for the whole day."

"I am very well aware of where I spent the day, Butler," Artemis answered, subconsciously grinding his teeth a little. "I had a lot to figure out." He played the cursor over the play button, lightly tapping his finger against the side of the mouse. "Where are you right now?"

"I'm doing my rounds, Sir. Shall I have Juliet bring your dinner up to you?"

"No," Artemis answered. "I'll come down as soon as I can."

"Yes, Sir."

Artemis frowned and he swallowed a lump at the back of his throat. "Lastly, Butler…" He turned the volume down on the player and clicked on play again. The video of his father started up again on the screen. "Book 2 flight tickets to Moscow. As soon as you can."

There was a moment's pause. But, Butler soon responded, as dutiful as always. "Yes, Sir. May I ask why?"

Artemis stared the screen as the video ended. "I'll tell you tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Sir."

A thought struck Artemis and he frowned. "And please tell me that Holly has eaten. I don't want to have to fight with her again."

"She has, Sir."

This actually managed to snap Artemis' attention away from the screen in front of him. "How was she?" he asked curiously.

Butler, once again, took a moment before he responded. His bodyguard's hesitation suddenly made Artemis think of Foaly's call earlier. "She's better," he answered, vaguely.

"Good," Artemis said, simply before he hung up.

Two hours flew by before Artemis was interrupted again; this time, by his mother. When he opened the door, she was already dressed for bed in a long satin nightdress and robe.

"I came to say good-night," she said, frowning at him.

It struck Artemis that he'd forgotten to go down to dinner. "Good night, Mother," he responded.

Angeline's face was drawn, as she glanced around her son's darkened room. "What could be so important that you would lock yourself away for the whole day? You haven't eaten anything since lunch, do you realize that?"

"I apologize, Mother, I really do," Artemis said, suddenly feeling tired.

Angeline inwardly deflated, as Artemis' behaviour confirmed what she'd already suspected. He wouldn't tell her anything. "I don't want this to happen again tomorrow."

"It won't."

Angeline nodded, and leaned down to kiss her son's forehead. "Good night," she said before leaving.

Artemis closed the door to walk tiredly back to his desk. For the last few hours, he'd been going over satellite images, mail routes, and the tape. He had made little progress so far. The snowy white satellite images blurred before him now, and he had to turn away.

He needed to drink something. Artemis got up, so that he could go down to the kitchen to make himself some tea.

Artemis stepped out of his room and his gaze was immediately drawn to the bit of golden light coming from the small crack under Holly's door. Like a insect drawn to a bulb, he changed course and before he knew it, he was knocking at her door. He remembered himself and opened it, stepping inside, before she asked him to enter.

The only light in the room came from an overhead lamp fixed above Holly's bed. It shone like a spotlight on the fairy. Holly was curled up like a cat amidst the pillows, clad in a soft-looking beige cotton summer dress, the red file opened on the bed in front of her. Holly said nothing, but turned back to the book as Artemis closed the door behind him and took a few steps toward her.

Artemis suddenly wondered what happened to his – her? – nightshirt, but then figured that Juliet had probably tossed it into the laundry basket. It was odd to see Holly in a dress, but then, that was probably the closest thing in the wardrobe to any clothing suitable for sleeping in.

"You look dead," Holly remarked, not looking up from the story.

Artemis looked around to the side to look in the mirror. Even in the soft light, he could see that his skin was paler than usual. His tie was loosened and askew and his usually crisp white shirt was wrinkled, with its top two buttons undone. When he turned back to Holly, he suddenly realized that she looked the opposite of him – healthy.

"How is the story?" Artemis asked, taking a few more steps toward her.

"Charming," Holly answered.

Artemis couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not. The story he'd given her could never be described as "charming." He eyed the pages. "You've gotten so far so quickly," he remarked.

Holly nodded and then raised her eyes to meet his. In a completely serious tone, she asked him, "Artemis, if you ever cut off my legs, how would you explain it to your mother?"

Artemis burst out laughing. It was short and sarcastic, but he couldn't keep it in.

Misery by Stephen King was the story of a man, a writer, who is kidnapped by an obsessive fan after she finds him in a car crash. During his imprisonment, the main character is tortured by his captor. Among other things, he is drugged, starved, denied medication and gets various parts of his body cut off.

Artemis briefly ran his eyes over Holly's toned, tanned legs before meeting her eyes. "I won't cut off your legs."

Holly didn't seem to believe him. "That's good to know," she murmured.

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "I take it you don't like it too much?" he asked.

"I don't understand why you gave it to me," Holly said, avoiding the question. "What are you trying to tell me?"

"No reason," Artemis smirked, not bothering to hide the lie.

"You never do anything without a reason," Holly said, dog-earing the page she was on. She closed the book and pushed herself up so that she was sitting against the pillows. "What does this mean?"

Artemis briefly shrugged, but he sat down at the edge of the bed and picked up the file. "It means whatever you wanted it to mean."

Holly suddenly scowled a bit. "Tell me," she said, in a very commanding tone.

Artemis' eyebrow quirked again at her behaviour. Something was different about her. Another thought struck him. "You forgot the magic word," he said, lowly, watching her carefully.

The obvious dig at her past wasn't lost. Holly didn't respond for a second, but she looked away from him and took two deep breaths. "Just tell me what you were thinking."

"Once again," Artemis said, slowly. He noted that she was still looking away from him. Her gaze was fixed on the curtains. It suddenly struck Artemis that even though Holly was an outdoorsy person, there was nothing interesting about windows when they were closed. She wasn't purposely looking for something. She was looking away out of habit. "You forgot to say please."

Holly simply didn't answer this time. Her hazel eyes were fixed on the curtains.

Artemis sat up. "Holly?" As he expected, she didn't answer. "Holly, look at me." He wasn't surprised when she didn't turn around. He frowned and then flexed his wrist, wondering what her strength was now.

Holly almost jumped when she felt Artemis grab her jaw and turn her around so that she met his eyes.

"Stay still," Artemis ordered, his eyes darting all over her face.

"What are you doing?" Holly asked him, unmoving. Somewhere at the back of his dark blue eyes, she saw a hint of puzzlement and a bit of pleasured surprise, but when she looked again, it was gone.

Artemis didn't say anything for a second. Finally, he spoke. "We're going to do a little experiment," he murmured. "Try your best to resist. Is that understood?"

Holly found herself nodding as much as she could against the weight of his hand under her jaw. She was suddenly aware of a heaviness at the bottom of her stomach.

Artemis locked his gaze with Holly's. "Holly," he said, his voice low and commanding. "Say please."

Holly was surprised, but the feeling was quickly overridden by panic. She clamped her lips shut, and bit her upper teeth down on her tongue. The word was fighting to escape her mouth. Disbelief punched her in the gut. She tasted blood on her tongue, and her lips parted, but she was suddenly a little proud of herself when she heard herself say, "No." She wished she could look away from Artemis' eyes.

"Say it," Artemis insisted.

Holly wished she could push his hand away so that she could break the connection, but something was holding her still. … He had told her to hold still earlier, hadn't he?

"_Now_, Holly," Artemis suddenly said, sounding a little irritated.

"Please." Holly wanted to punch something when heard herself gasp the word. She tried to remember the route to the dojo.

Artemis removed his hand, and stared at her. "You got the worst deal in the world. You can't even speak anything besides Gnommish, yet you still have to do whatever the human says while you're in his house."

Holly felt sick. She couldn't bring herself to retort; she didn't even want to look at him. First, her magic. Now, her will. She didn't even want to think about her vulnerability now…

Artemis tilted his head a little examining her. Holly looked really upset. "Don't worry," he said, tossing the file back against the pillows. "I won't ever make you do anything you don't want to do."

Holly's head snapped up and she met his eyes with a blank expression, blinking a few times. She turned away again, furrowing her eyebrows, obviously trying to decide whether she could believe him or whether he was just messing with her. Finally, she nodded, but she still looked cautious.

For reasons lost on him, Artemis' lips quirked as he stood up. "Good night."

"Good night," Holly mumbled, absently, staring at the footboard.

Artemis started to leave the room and was almost at the door when he was stopped.

"Artemis?"

Artemis turned around, surprised and curious.

Holly licked her lips, nervously and picked up the file. "Does he escape in the end?"

Artemis' eyes flickered to the red file and back to Holly's eyes. "If there's still enough magic in you to bind you to those ancient rules of having to obey me, then that's just it. There's still magic in you." He opened the door and started to step out. "He escapes her house in the end, but he never escapes her. Good night, Holly."

xXxXxXx

A/n

See, I made it longer, as an apology. Actually, this chapter was done a while ago, but I just couldn't get to it, so I when I finally did yesterday, I went back to make it longer.

So… Yay, the Russians are here!...Okay, they're not so important…

How did you like what I chose for Foaly's first name? (For those who actually got the blindingly obvious reference.)

Who has actually read Misery by Stephen King?

Any random line that you guys would like to see incorporated into the next chapter?

REVIEW!

Luv,

Creatress


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer- All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

xXxXxXxXx

Author's Note:

I blame school, essays and writer's block. Mostly the third one. :S

Luv

Creatress

xXxXxXxXx

Persephone's Crown

Chapter 7 – Behavioural Analysis

Holly awoke early enough to catch the very beginning of the sunrise. It was still dark in her room when she opened her eyes, barely letting them flutter in the shadows. She sat up in bed, stretching a little, almost forgetting where she was. In the darkness, the room looked more like her cell at the Police Plaza than ever.

Trying not to think about it, Holly pushed herself off the large bed and lightly stepped over to the window, which still had blinds and heavy curtains pulled over it. She didn't like them shut so. She pushed the curtains aside, and raised the blinds. She pushed the glass window open before she finally noticed the creeping redness at the horizon.

Holly's breath caught for a second. When was the last time she'd seen the sun rise? She tried to think back to years ago, in a time so long gone now, back when her father carried her everywhere. She remembered her mother encouraging her to walk, and remembered just as well her father's insistence that she was still his little girl, his princess, who should be carried everywhere and placed on a pedestal at all other times. She smiled slightly at the memory, her heart fluttering in her chest. Of course, that was only the case at the end of the day… Earlier, he would have been playing some kind of sport with her, teaching her some kind of skill, grooming and guiding her athletic abilities. A princess could be athletic. A princess _should_ be athletic.

That was the last time she'd seen the sun rise. Her mother had woken her up then, telling her in hushed excitement that something amazing was about to happen.

Holly smiled, the early morning breeze of the Irish countryside kissing her face and swirling around her, suddenly feeling peaceful. She would have thought those memories would have saddened her.

Suddenly, a movement on the lawn caught her attention and Holly's gaze dropped, her eyes narrowing as she wondered who else could be up so early.

Juliet.

Juliet was jogging along a pathway, clad in a white tank top and pink track pants, her blonde ponytail bouncing up and down on top of her head with each step she took.

Holly was surprised; and pleasantly surprised. She wouldn't have pinned the younger Butler as an early morning jogger. It seemed that she and Juliet had that one thing in common.

Before Holly could think, she was already moving. Butler had shown her around the manor the previous day, but she was growing increasingly tired of walls and paintings. In a few minutes, Holly had brushed her teeth, washed her face and clipped a few strands of her face behind her ear so that it wouldn't bother her. She then went into the closet, and quickly found the red tank top and black track pants she'd spotted the other day. She pulled them on along with a pair of socks and sneakers before rushing out of the room, almost blind to the eagerness building up inside her.

Holly didn't even stop to stretch. As soon as she found herself out in the grounds, she started running, only starting at a slower pace as a warm-up. The wind was more pleasant, even though it was a bit nippier, and the soft ground felt incredible beneath her feet. As she sped up, her breathing caught and her lung burned, but it was a good feeling – it was something she hadn't experienced in so long; something she sorely missed. As she pushed herself to run faster, sprinting into the wind now, struggling so hard to breathe that she could have been drowning, she found more of herself.

As vast as the Fowl Manor grounds were, Holly crossed paths with Juliet in less than a half an hour into her run. The blonde spotted her about two seconds after Holly saw her, and abruptly came to a halt. Or at least, tried to. Juliet's stop was so sudden that she actually stumbled forward and fell face-first into the soggy ground.

Holly briefly raised an eyebrow before running up to Juliet's fallen form. She came to a graceful stop above the other girl's body – if Juliet had seen it, she would have called Holly a showoff after her own little accident.

Juliet groaned a bit, getting up, rubbing at some dirt on her forehead. The first thing she saw were Holly's white sneakers – they had a design of bronze vines running over them – and she vaguely remembered how hard it had been to find them in the fairy's small size. Though from this angle, Holly looked quite tall.

Holly waited, growing a bit impatient as Juliet scrambled up, shaking the dirt off of herself. She didn't even know why she'd stopped. Before, if Juliet had been hurt, she could have healed her. What was the point in checking on her now?

Juliet was giving Holly a flustered smile. "Hi!" she exclaimed. "Morning… That was embarrassing."

Holly almost let her irritation show on her face before she started to turn around to start running again. The only thing that stopped her was Juliet's voice, calling her name, almost stuttering in nervousness.

"I was on my way to the dojo…" Juliet trailed off when Holly turned to fix her eyes on her. "If you, like… I don't know. Maybe, if you wanted to come with?" The blonde actually dropped her gaze to the ground for a second before kicking at some dirt with the toe of her right running shoe.

Holly wondered for a second what Juliet was so anxious about, and then suddenly thought if it might be a ruse. Nevertheless, she inclined her head.

xXxXxXx

After his early morning routine of weight training and yoga, Butler showered before he went down to the kitchen to make breakfast. It was only half past seven when breakfast was half done and his boss appeared in the kitchen doorway.

Butler froze for a second. "Sir?" he asked, sounding a little concerned.

Artemis was paler than usual, the skin around his eyes tinged with an unhealthy bluish purple – the combined effects from both insomnia and spending said insomnia tanning under the light of a computer screen. He was only wearing a wrinkled white shirt and black slacks, along with gray socks. His hair was a little oily and out of place. Oddly, he was carrying a china cup in one hand. "Good morning to you, too, Butler." He stepped inside and placed the cup down beside a steel sink.

"Are you alright?" Butler asked, following Artemis with his eyes. A strong scent sudden hit him, and he turned back to the eggs he was frying when he realized they were starting to burn.

Artemis ignored the question. "Have you booked the tickets to Russia?"

Butler nodded. "The earliest flight will be the day after tomorrow. Is that okay?"

Artemis didn't answer right away. He considered this before shrugging, and nodding his approval. "That should give us enough time to prepare."

Butler turned the gas off before turning to his boss. "Sir, I know the Fowl Star…" he trailed off, becoming unnerved by Artemis' steady, emotionless stare. "Why exactly are we going to Russia?" he asked instead.

"I've received a video," Artemis answered simply. Before Butler could respond, he continued. "After breakfast, you and I have to go pick up some supplies." He tilted his head a little, looking more tired than ever. "In the mean time, I'm going to take a shower." He started to leave.

"Sir, you look unwell. Are you sure you want to go anywhere in this condition?"

Artemis almost smiled. "The trip to Russia or the trip to get supplies?"

Butler shrugged. "Either or."

Artemis left, but not before flashing Butler the smile of the undead.

xXxXxXx

Foaly was troubled. What made him further uncomfortable was the fact that Commander Root looked even more confused them him. Which made the other man angry. Angrier. Than usual. What could have sent Foaly over the edge was that instead of ranting and raving, Commander Root was oddly silent.

But then again, the commander had been much more quiet after the disappearance of one Holly Short a few days ago. Strangely, his silence was more disturbing than his yelling. Morale was down.

There had been a recent discovery of weapons that were running on human batteries. No one knew why the weapons, which should have been destroyed years ago, were still existent. Moreover, no one could figure out how the machinery had been paired with mudman batteries. The cherry on top was the mystery of what they would be _used_ for.

There was a slight knock on Root's door, followed by a female voice. "May I come in?"

Foaly sat up a little, and Root stood. It was Wing Commander Vinyaya. "Come in," the commander called.

Vinyaya opened the door and stepped into the office. Her neutral expression became grave after she closed the door behind her. "What have we got?" she asked, looking from Foaly to Root and back.

"Hello to you, too, Wing Commander," Foaly remarked. Vinyaya actually graced him with a small smile at that. It didn't go unnoticed by the centaur that she and Root didn't make eye contact for too long and were entirely _too_ professional to even exchange pleasantries. Either the two weren't seeing each other and it was sad that they were so repressed, or the two _were_ seeing each other and their acting was sad. Either way, it was obvious there was something between them. These things never escaped Foaly.

"As of right now, we have nothing. No clues, no leads," Root said. He gestured at the guest chair beside Foaly before sinking down into his own.

Vinyaya took the invitation. "Absolutely nothing?"

Before Root could reaffirm what he'd already said, Foaly let out a short, "No." All of a sudden, Holly flashed before his mind's eye. Root and Vinyaya were looking curiously at him. "We _might_ have a lead," Foaly said, slowly.

"What are you talking about, Foaly?" Root asked.

Foaly kept his eyes on Root's badge, only glancing up into the commander's eyes every now and then. Ever since he and Mulch had busted Holly out, the redhead had never been discussed. Neither had her captor. "Elfin weapons powered by human batteries," he said, choosing his words carefully. Holly came to mind again – at times, she had been just as loud and commanding as Root. He was suddenly angry, and his next words came out cuttingly sarcastic. "Do we know of a human who might do this?"

The air grew noticeably thicker.

Vinyaya, although sympathetic to Root and Foaly, remained professional. "Foaly, we can't jump to conclusions," she said. "The batteries might have smuggled down from topside. There's no indication that a mud man was directly involved."

Foaly's lip curled. He looked to Root to see that the commander was staring off to the side, an unreadable look on his face. "Are you willing to take that chance?" he asked. He spoke to Vinyaya even though his eyes were still on Root. "After all, it has been a horrible time for the LEP and its reputation. On top of _everything_… Mulch has escaped." No need to elaborate on 'everything.'

Root suddenly turned to look at Foaly, almost as if he knew what was going on. That Holly hadn't simply disappeared, and that Mulch's escape _was_ related. He didn't say anything, though.

Vinyaya was silent for a second. "Foaly, I know it's hard. But do you think your anger at Fowl could be clouding your judgment?" she asked.

Foaly didn't answer. He only shrugged a little. "Otherwise, we've nothing. For the moment."

Vinyaya stood, Root rising milliseconds after her. "In that case, I've some files to sort through," she said. "Please call me when something comes up. Commander, Foaly."

As soon as Vinyaya left, Root sat down again. "Is that all, Foaly?"

Foaly stood, narrowing his eyes at the commander. For the past few days, he had felt extremely bad for the man, but today, he just felt irritated. "Wherever she is, I'm sure she's fine," he said, evenly. He almost winced; he wished he was as certain as he wanted to sound. Root only looked at him blankly, with bloodshot, blank eyes. "Officers die all the time," Foaly continued. "At least, we know Holly's alive." He gestured to Root, almost contemptuously. "We're all sad, but _this_ isn't coping."

Foaly left Root's office when the commander failed to start yelling at him. He started down the hallway, and saw someone who made his mood go from bad to worse. Coming toward him from the down the hall was another centaur. Foaly might have considered the other centaur, female with long brown hair and light brown eyes, almost pretty if she wasn't so annoying. "He isn't giving any interviews, Caballine," he scowled.

Caballine gave him a cool look, flipping her voluminous hair of her shoulder casually. "I'll ask him myself. Unless, of course, you have news for me?"

Foaly's lips curled into a wry grin. "Shouldn't _you_ have news for _me_?"

Caballine didn't look impressed. Before she could answer, though, Foaly heard something behind him and turned around to see Root stick his head out of his office. "You're right," the commander said, simply. His tone was bland, though. "Fowl's capable of this. I'll send someone topside to fetch him for an interview; you get your gadgets ready." Then, he disappeared.

Foaly's surprise was followed quickly by alarm. He whipped around to face Caballine again, intent on begging her not to write about what she'd just heard, but she was already gone. Foaly groaned out loud. The day could only get better after this…

xXxXxXx

Artemis _heard_ Juliet quietly gushing about Holly's athletic abilities before he entered the dining room. All the conversation died down when Butler, Juliet and Angeline saw him. The three had been huddled around the counter, talking over Butler's breakfast. He suddenly wondered what they were so worried about – he didn't remember ordering anyone not to talk about Holly.

"I take it, Holly's awake?" Artemis asked, raising an eyebrow.

Juliet nodded. "We were jogging together earlier," she put in. "But she decided to keep working out longer than I did, so, like, I guess she's still dressing or something."

"Will she be coming down for breakfast?" Angeline asked, looking to Butler.

"I doubt it," Artemis cut in. He held out a hand to Butler. "In fact, give me a tray for both of us. I'll stay up there and make sure she eats something." He pretended not to see the smile on his mother's face at that.

When Butler started preparing two plates, Angeline turned back to Juliet. "She was so small – I had no idea she could be so strong," she said, starting up their conversation from earlier.

Artemis noticed Juliet wince a little before replying, leading him to wonder what Holly had done to the blonde. "I didn't know, either," Juliet muttered. She caught Artemis' gaze then, and turned back to Angeline with an unholy smile. "So did you know…"

Artemis took the tray from Butler and was almost out of the door when Juliet finished.

"Holly wants to be a cop when she grows up." The dining room door shut behind Artemis.

Artemis didn't know how to feel, but he wished he'd seen his mother's face at that statement. Something told him that Angeline's mental planning for the future Fowl-Short wedding had come to an abrupt halt – there was something rather worrying about a cop in a criminal family. As he started walking up to Holly's room, Artemis thought again. Holly wanting to be a cop probably wouldn't deter his mother. At this very moment, Angeline was probably laughing about how young Holly was and how dreams could change.

As always, Artemis threw Holly's door open without bothering to knock. And was greeted by the sight of the redhead in a towel.

Holly was now dry after her shower, but her hair was obviously still damp as it hung in loose tendrils around her face. She was holding a large, white towel around herself, as she stood beside her bed, looking over the outfit that she'd picked out for the day. Her eyes snapped up to meet his, and for a second, no one moved – then, Holly had disappeared into her closet.

It took Artemis a few seconds to get his motor skills working again. He finally gulped, drily, before stepping into Holly's room and shutting the door behind him. At first, he thought that, from now on, he would definitely have to knock. But then… It took Artemis the walk to the writing desk where he set down the tray, and getting an extra chair for one side before he was calm enough to form this next line of thought. For the third time in less than two months, Artemis thought about pretty Holly was, and how _not_ knocking would probably be useful in a few years during puberty and in the years after.

The door to the closet slammed open and Holly emerged, dressed in black jeans and a dark purple top. It was different from the capri pants and tank top ensemble on her bed, and Artemis was vaguely impressed that she hadn't needed to dig through the closet for an hour like the other two women in the house before deeming something suitable to wear. His approval was short-lived, because of the rather disturbing fact that Holly didn't look too upset. But then, she spoke and her tone of voice conveyed what her face didn't.

"You _will_ knock from now on."

Artemis slowly inclined his head, in a show of acceptance before sitting down. "I will have Butler get you a lock."

Holly narrowed her eyes, wondering if he honestly expected her to believe that he wouldn't have a key to every room in the manor. But, she reasoned, she could hear the lock on the door opening… Holly's eyes flickered to Artemis' shoes for a second as she wondered how he was so _quiet_. "Fine," she accepted, quietly.

Artemis nodded to the chair across from him on the other side of desk. "Sit."

Holly crossed the room and sat down. Her early morning work-out had left her energized, but she was still too worn-out for an argument over nothing. "Why are you here?" she asked, instead.

Artemis picked up a fork and started to casually pick at his scrambled eggs. Butler had added some caviar with toast on the side, in case. How thoughtful of him. "If you're still human for a decade or so more, would you want to be a cop here?"

Holly paused at the question. She wondered if she should pretend that the question hadn't crossed her mind. She picked up her fork and stabbed a strawberry on her plate. "Why?" she asked. But then, a beam of sunlight bouncing off Artemis' fork made her look up a little, and she couldn't keep the look of disgust off her face. She straightened after a mere millisecond, but it hadn't escaped Artemis' notice.

"You don't eat eggs, either?" Artemis asked.

Holly looked up at him and frowned. "I'm going to say no, but I'm only telling you because I don't think we should spend the whole morning throwing questions at each other that neither of us are going to answer."

Ah, so she had noticed, too. Artemis decided to be a little cruel. He forked one of the bigger pieces and held it up between them. "Does this repulse you?" he asked, in unnecessarily curious tone.

Holly looked around the egg to meet Artemis' eyes. In all honesty, she told him, "_You_ repulse me."

Artemis wasn't as affronted as he would have thought he might be. "Why is that?" he asked, lowering the egg.

Holly scoffed. "Amidst certain things you do…" she started. She pointed at the scrambled eggs with her fork. "Eggs." She then pointed at the caviar. "Fish eggs."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"You're eating two species of dead babies. For breakfast."

Artemis couldn't help but laugh. The statement was so blunt, even with all its gory details. "Dead babies? They haven't even been born. The eggs weren't even fertilized."

"Killing something before it even gets to the cradle," Holly muttered.

Artemis frowned. "I could argue that plants are living things – they eat, they grow." He pointed at the strawberries on top of her French toast in the same way she'd pointed at his eggs. "What makes fruits special?"

"Plants don't feel pain," Holly answered, smoothly. To punctuate the point, she sliced a strawberry in half.

"For a vegetarian, you're quite snippy," Artemis noted. He received a glare from the redhead in response and smirked. "Is it because you're always hungry?" He dodged the blueberry Holly flicked at him. "That's mature," he told her, sarcastically.

Holly scowled at him. "I should be throwing something harder, heavier and deadlier at you."

Artemis forked some of the eggs into his mouth, and chewed, slowly. "Hard, heavy and deadly. That could be the name of a good law firm," he finally said. When Holly only rolled her eyes in annoyance before turning back to her plate, he looked at her carefully. "Why doesn't my disrespect bother you?"

"About you not knocking?" Holly clarified. When Artemis nodded, she shrugged. "I asked you not to do that, and you keep doing it."

"You're giving up?" Artemis asked. He thought that, for some reason, this pleasured him far too much.

Holly quirked a shoulder. "I'm trying to figure out why you keep doing it."

Artemis smirked. "Any theories?"

Holly dropped her gaze to her plate. "People put on shows when they're trying to cover something up," she said. "You are trying to show off the Lord of Manor status and power by disrespecting my privacy." A wry smile tugged at her lips. "Which means you're insecure."

Artemis frowned, and his tone was icy enough to make her wary, but also tell her that she'd touched a nerve. "Holly," he said, slowly. "Look at me." He pointedly waited until she met again before he continued. "If I wanted to show you power, there are far worse things, albeit much _clearer_, ways I could do it in."

Holly thought back to the book he'd given her the other night. Sometime in the middle of the night, the intended message hit her. There were worse things he could have done to her; that he could do to her. But hadn't.

"But I won't," Artemis finished.

Holly turned to her plate again, and had to fight a sudden smile off her lips. A horrific novel such as Misery would have been disturbingly scary to anyone else; she was probably the only person in the world who was supposed to (and had, accordingly) find comfort in it.

Artemis suddenly spoke. "Let's play a game." It wasn't a request.

Holly tensed, instantly cautious. She hadn't enjoyed their last game, and for some reason, she doubted she'd have fun with this one. "I would not have pegged you as someone who enjoys games so much," she said, carefully, looking up at him through half hooded eyes.

Artemis smirked. "That depends on the game," he said, simply. But then he paused, and nodded at her. "And who I'm playing with," he added.

Unsurprisingly enough, this didn't comfort Holly, but she was stubborn; a fighter. She met his eyes, still wary, but accepting the challenge. "What game?" she asked.

Artemis' smile was predatory. "Twenty Questions."

xXxXxXxXx

Author's Note

Twenty Questions… Someone's going to get traumatized.

I JUST realized that there were certain sentences I was supposed to use in this chapter… Oh, well, next chapter will have them.

On a related note, does anyone have any questions Artemis and Holly should ask one another? … Yeah, I thought you did.

Review!

Luv,

Creatress


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer- All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

xXxXxXxXx

Author's Note:

Hey all. Sorry for being MIA; I'll tell you why in the ending author's note. (does happy dance) It feels so good to be posting again…

Luv

Creatress

xXxXxXxXx

Persephone's Crown

Chapter 8 – Confidante and Counselor

Holly's eyebrows shot up. "Twenty Questions?" she echoed. When Artemis nodded stoically, she frowned a little. "So… What? We ask one another twenty questions?"

Artemis smirked. "The title would imply that, wouldn't it?" When Holly scowled, his smile grew and he sat back. "I'm thinking of something," he announced. "You guess what it is."

"What?" Holly asked, puzzled.

"You may ask me twenty polar questions, and I'll answer them. You guess what I'm thinking of based on the answers," Artemis summarized. Before Holly could react, he held up a finger. "But this is only the practice round, so I'll pick something easy." When Holly only stared at him, he raised an eyebrow. "Go!" he barked.

Holly started, not at the order, but at the ancient, unforgiveable magic, that made her obey. "Is it in this room?" she stammered.

"Yes." Artemis neither blinked nor looked away from her eyes.

Holly held his gaze, instincts kicking in. She had no need to look about the room, either; she'd memorized it when she first awoke in this place. "Is it furniture?"

"No."

"Reading material of some sort?"

It was the faintest twitch of his left hand, the fingers there momentarily curling a little, that gave Artemis away a little. When Holly's gaze dropped to it before snapping up to meet his eyes again, he furrowed his eyebrows. He spoke, his answer sure, yet careful. "Yes."

It occurred to Holly that Artemis hadn't looked away to check. "It's me."

Artemis quirked a shoulder, looking unimpressed. "Very good; you've conquered the practice level."

Holly leaned away a little, as if getting away from Artemis meant the same as avoiding the game. "I'm not playing games with you."

Artemis' cryptic smirk contrasted sharply with his disappointed tone. "Oh, why not?" he asked, sounding sullen. "Games are fun."

Holly could have laughed. "No doubt."

"Why not?" Artemis asked again, frowning a little.

Holly gave him a look that a girl might give a robber who'd asked permission to steal her purse. It was amused and sarcastic, yet still managed to come across as offended. "You think I don't know that you have some sick, twisted underlying purpose?"

"No," Artemis said, slowly. "I know you think that. But why would you?"

Holly shook her head. "You never do anything for _fun_. You never do anything without it having some point or another behind it. Which, by the way, is pretty sad."

Artemis chuckled, and even his laugh sounded measured. "How long have you known me, Holly?"

Holly's eyes flashed. "Apparently, we met years ago."

Artemis suddenly sat up, looking serious. "No, Holly, you need to get the story straight. We met one year before the day I kidnapped you."

Holly's tone was as dry as her smile when she responded. "So accurate with dates," she murmured. "You're going to make some girl very happy when you grow up."

"When we're both - " Artemis stopped midsentence. It was meant to be a scathing remark, said with no other intent than to hurt her. But it seemed like such an incredibly childish thing to say. 'When we're both grown up.' Holly looked away to the open window – the window, always the window – and Artemis took the opportunity to rub at his temple for a second. "Get the story straight," he finally repeated.

"What _is_ the story?"

Artemis looked at Holly through narrowed eyes. "Neither Butler nor Juliet have told you?"

Holly shook her head, turning back to him. "So who was I?" she asked, her tone quiet, but casual.

Artemis suddenly found it hard to hold her gaze. Her eyes were huge; how hadn't he noticed before. A wry thought suddenly struck him that maybe it was because they were always narrowed whenever she looked at him. Sighing through his nose, Artemis blinked against a sudden headache, which suddenly disappeared as soon as it came as a thought struck him. Sitting up a little, he met Holly's gaze. "You tell me."

Holly cocked her head and frowned, looking a bit like an annoyed kitten about to whip out her claws. "What?"

Artemis remained neutrally passive, but there was an note of curiousity in his voice. "Tell me who you were. Are."

Holly's eyebrows furrowed. "Why?" she asked. "Can't we just make something up?"

Artemis shook his head, his lips twisting into a dry little smile. "It would be easier for us both – well, for you, in any case, if the lies had a thread of truth to them."

Holly stuck out her lower lip in a pout. "Oh, and you're just looking out for my best interests, aren't you?" She wiped away an imaginary tear before her face hardened. "Right."

Artemis opened his mouth to tell her off, before quickly remembering the rather long list of psychologists he himself had dealt with in the past. Then, a name flashed before his mind of a psychologist he'd neither seen nor talked to, but only knew by mention in an interesting file – Cummulus.

The thought occurred to Artemis that he and Holly weren't so different; neither of them liked dealing with people who wanted to psychoanalyze them. It was just the way that they handled their problems was different… But then again, a person's means could tell one a lot about them, and Artemis suddenly realized that Holly was watching him carefully. "Yes?" he asked.

Holly didn't reply right away and she straightened her back before she finally spoke. "If it would be easier for me if the lies had some truth to them, I would need to know about you, too."

Artemis froze for a second, then he smiled slowly, but thinly. "You deflect," he muttered, a note of approval buried deep beneath an overt amount of condescension. He suddenly felt as sorry as he did for Cumulus as he did for all of his own counselors. He sighed, throwing up his hands in mock-surrender. "What would you like to know?"

Holly's eyebrows shot up. "Well," she murmured, thoughtfully. A look of curiousity washed over her face. "Why are you such a bastard?"

Artemis folded his hands on the edge of the table before him. "And here I was expecting you to ask me what my favourite colour is," he said, sarcastically.

"Gold."

"No."

"Lie."

"Never."

"What's with your parents?"

Artemis froze. "I beg your pardon?" he asked.

Holly quirked a shoulder. "Somehow, I think that the reason she was sick and the reason that you are a cold, heartless arse are related." When she saw that Artemis didn't react, she licked her lips and tried again. "Why are you going to Russia?"

xXxXx

Foaly wasn't too surprised when, whilst rinsing out his coffee mug, he happened to look up through his kitchen window just in time to see a huge patch of the front yard explode. A fountain of grass and dirt rained down around Mulch, who stood, with his knees slightly bent and his arms out, in a completely unnecessary Greatest-Entrance-Ever pose.

"Idiot," Foaly muttered when Mulch started walking. He shot to the front door and opened it just as the dwarf was raising his hand to knock. "Get in here." After pushing Mulch in, Foaly stopped for a second to glance around at the neighbouring houses, making sure that they were still dark. He closed the door to round on his – Frond forgive him – partner in crime.

"Calm yourself, Troy ol' boy," Mulch sang, wandering off toward the kitchen. He swatted at a few specks of dirt still hanging off his worn, pleather jacket. "Your hedge fences are high, and anyway, most of your neighbours are too deaf and too blind to notice their own farts, let alone notice little old me."

Foaly entered the kitchen to see that Mulch was pouring himself a cup of coffee, and gave him a disgusted, yet intrigued look. "Firstly, don't call me Troy. Secondly, how does being blind affect how you notice your farts?"

Mulch finished the cup in gulp and started pouring a second. "It doesn't. But, I'm a dwarf, so everything I say needs to be gas-related."

"Of course." Foaly went back to the sink to look out the window, frowning at the damage done to his yard. It would take some high-tech beauty products for lawns, coupled with magic to completely clean the mess up. Even if the shifted dirt was cleaned away and the grass was grown again, there would be a mark where Mulch tunneled under. A dwarf's presence (and all the chemicals related) tended to leave marks. Foaly looked closer at the damaged area, taking in the circle, and suddenly thought back to a course he took on Mud Men. "You know what I just realized?" he asked.

"What?" came Mulch's uninterested drawl.

"Every time you do that above ground and no one treats it, Mud Men come along and think it was caused fairies dancing on the spot."

Mulch almost choked on his coffee as he laughed. "Oh, they got one half-right," he remarked. "Good for them."

Foaly rubbed at his temple, his caffeine-high already starting to fall. "Come, my smelly little stuntman," he said. He grabbed the scruff on Mulch's collar as he started out of the kitchen and raised his voice to be heard over Mulch's complaining. "We have about twenty minutes to clean up the dwarf tracks before the Paper Pixie comes by."

Unable to argue about someone seeing him, Mulch just muttered viciously about "shooting himself in the foot." Catching the rake Foaly threw at him, Mulch turned and started to work, actually thankful to have an excuse not to meet the centaur's eyes as he approached one of the more delicate reasons for his visit. "So… Speaking of pixies… I heard your ex's technology's – HEY!" Mulch jumped when a clump of dirt and grass hit his back.

"Actually, I think I just made you cleaner. Go me," Foaly said. He didn't look up from his raking, and for a second, there was silence. "She's not my ex."

Mulch snorted as he went back to work. "So you're still seeing her?"

"No," Foaly snapped. He sighed, angrily. "What about Opal?"

"Still on a first-name basis, I see."

"_Mulch_!"

"Fine, fine," Mulch said, giving up. "My, you're cranky in the morning. Anyway, I heard her company's having some financial… Mysteries on their hands."

"Mysteries?" Foaly echoed. He glanced at Mulch's back. "What are you talking about?"

Mulch grinned, toothily. "So the law enforcers haven't heard of this yet? I guess we, the accused, get news in advance. A lot of her shareholders have started bellyaching about – oh, and a select few of the smarter ones have started hiring PIs to investigate – disappearing money. Gold goes into the R&D department, and never comes out."

Foaly straightened, thinking. "The company's journal wouldn't match the R&D's ledgers," he hypothesized. He frowned, thinking. "Embezzlement?"

"Who knows?" Mulch asked, shrugging.

"Why are you telling me this?" Foaly asked, moving towards the rather tall garage door. "A few accountants would be able to sort this out."

"I heard you found a few guns the other day," Mulch recalled. The sound of the garage door drew his attention away from his raking, and the dwarf smirked at the vehicle inside.

Whenever centaurs needed to drive, they drove RCs. The manufacturer, who had a very untalented marketing team, had named the vehicles the "reverse chariots." The vehicles were the sizes of buses, as centaurs were the only creatures, other than trolls, in the Underworld who were as tall as humans. Needless to say, RCs did a number on the traffic every morning, causing problems in different, rather imaginative, ways. Foaly's own was very, very beat up, and Mulch was never able to tell if gray was its colour or if the paint had completely come off.

"Hey, do you go in early every morning because you're afraid that people would see that hunk of metal and sue you when their retinas burn?" Mulch asked.

Foaly picked up a plastic, cylindrical container before he started to close the garage door. "Keep talking, dwarf; I'm going spray liquid fertilizer into your mouth."

Mulch made a face and stepped back. There were a few things even he wouldn't swallow.

Foaly suddenly looked somber as he started working. "About those guns… You know we're going to bring our good friend below ground today," he said, lowly. His eyes shifted as he scanned the dark houses again. Deaf or blind, some of his neighbours were conservative and fearful enough to sense the Mud Man's name being uttered in their deepest sleep; a good half of his neighbourhood loathed Holly, for more than one reason.

"It's only you and Root who will…?"

"There's always a risk of someone from the Council dropping in," Foaly muttered, shaking his head. "We just need to make sure he doesn't blabber about Holly during the questioning."

"Never mind Holly; they can't do anything about her," Mulch cut in. "What if he says something about us?"

Foaly chuckled, drily. "Forget 'us.' They're already after you; it's me I'm worried about."

"Nice." Mulch looked like he was about to add something, but stopped when he saw the look on Foaly's face.

Foaly was staring at the dark houses of his neighbours, their silhouettes against the fake twilight giving him an idea.

xXxXx

"My father never told me much about his businesses, but, of course, I was able to figure out from a young age what was happening." Artemis was staring at his hands, internally starting a little when he felt them tremble the slightest bit. He tightened them and even managed a small smirk. "Truth be told…" He sighed a little, as if confessing some sin. He looked up at Holly and was pleased to see that she looked as stoic as she had earlier. "It immensely irritates me when people try to be sympathetic." He glanced around the room. "We didn't spend much time together when he was here. Most days, I barely notice that he's gone. There's only one constant reminder."

"Your mother's illness." It wasn't a guess.

"Correct," Artemis said. "I suppose she tries to… Balance everything. She's always at some charity event or another; she is obsessed with trying to cancel out everything my father does." He paused for a second, his slightly narrowed eyes dropping to his hands again. "She loves him, though."

"Are you afraid she'll relapse?"

Artemis suddenly stiffened, and his hands stopped shaking of their own accord. When he looked back up at Holly, she saw that he was smiling darkly. "No," he lied, smoothly.

Holly, immediately detecting it, rolled her eyes. "That can't have been easy for you." She raised her eyebrows, fixing him with an accusing gaze. "I can believe what you told me, can't I?"

"Why wouldn't you?" Artemis asked with a shrug, as he reached for a napkin.

"I think I heard I similar sob story before…" Holly mulled, thoughtfully. "Or maybe I read it somewhere."

"Fairy novels, too?" Artemis snorted. "I am _bad_ because my father's a criminal and my mother's unavailable. After breakfast, I'm going to cause a slight inconvenience to all the world's heroes by taking out every phone booth in Ireland. After all, they can't come after me if they've got nowhere to change."

Holly didn't look amused. "That is incredibly unfunny," she said, drily. Then she narrowed her eyes. "Why phone booths?"

"Never mind. I told you, Holly," Artemis said, smiling wryly. "Fiction is always a little easier with a bit of fact."

Holly narrowed her eyes. "So every kid with unconventional parents is going to grow up and try to take over the world? I beg to differ."

"No," Artemis stated. "In any case, I'm not going to argue about the classics with you. We haven't even read the same ones." He held up a finger to silence her when she opened her mouth to respond. "We were talking about life stories earlier, remember?" His comforting smile did nothing to disguise the curiousity in his eyes. "I've shown you mine. Now, you show me yours."

Holly snarled, but a deal was a deal. "Fine," she muttered. However, before she could begin, a slight haze out the window caught her eye. The sky outside was light blue and flawless, except for that one spot where it…

Alarm bells went off in Artemis' head when he suddenly noticed that Holly wasn't looking at him. He whipped toward the window in time to see the curtains fly up as a figure suddenly appeared on the sill.

Then, there was darkness.

xXxXx

A/n

Hey everyone. So sorry for the absence, once again. If anyone wants to see one of the reasons, it's because of this blog:

http:// www . tdottech. blogspot. com. It's a blog we've been working on for school. If you want to hear me whine about… Well, many things, just go there and look up posts by . It's all written in a kind of Why Hartemis Shouldn't Happen type tone, so… Yeah.

Next chapter:

Root interviews Arty.

Foaly talks to Opal and Calbaline

Butler and Holly set out to… Well, you'll see.

Don't worry though – as midterms are now drawing to a close, I'll be updating more often.

Review! It feels so good to be back.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer- All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

xXxXxXxXx

Author's Note:

I blame school, essays and writer's block. Mostly the third one. :S

Luv

Creatress

xXxXxXxXx

Persephone's Crown

Chapter 9 – Best Served Cold

"_This is a dangerous, difficult time for the People." Root's voice was strong this time, as it carried over the Council. This was the first time he'd spoken to them since Holly's exile. "And it is in these kinds of times that a nation really needs its government, and its forces, to protect it." Vinyaya was probably the only one who saw that he was lying through his teeth. "So I suggest this plan with the People's concern in mind…"_

xXxXx

Mulch only had a heartbeat's time to look down at the still form of Artemis Fowl before his attention was diverted.

"Mulch!"

Mulch almost took a step back in fear when Holly shot toward him. But he managed to stay still, and she only hugged him for a half second (quite a feat, considering his scent) before she stepped away again. The dwarf was flabbergasted, and he barely managed to make sense of his words. "You… You're hugging _me_? A thief?" He grinned, crookedly, pocketing the Neutrino he was carrying. "By Frond, lady, my earliest memory of you involves two kinds of weapons."

Holly smiled, wistfully, trying to think back to their first encounter. It was incredibly good to see someone from her old life, even if it was low-life rat like Mulch. "I suppose a lot can change," she murmured. "Besides, I remember what you and Foaly did for me." She dropped her gaze to the unconscious genius. "What's going on?" she asked, suddenly looking bewildered.

Mulch nodded, looking tired. "Long story, short: The LEP captured" – he made quotation marks with his fingers at the word 'captured' – "me again, but since they're having some problems with human batteries, they had no other choice but to send _me_ up to get Master Fowl here. There are a few commandos waiting out there, but most of them are on the look-out for dear Domovoi." Mulch paused, frowning. "Speaking of which, I'd hide somewhere."

As Mulch picked up Artemis and started dragging him toward the window, Holly ducked behind her bed. She stealthily watched around the hanging sheets as Mulch simply leaned Artemis' head and shoulders out the window. In a few seconds, LEP commandos were at the window, the only thing to give away their presence being the slight disruptions in the air. Holly couldn't tell how many were out there.

As soon as Mulch sensed them, he scrambled back from the window until he was standing in the middle of the room.

"Mulch!" One of the invisible commandos snapped in a loud whisper. Holly didn't recognize who the voice belonged to. "Get back here!"

Mulch pretended to think about it. "Seems to me, you have one of two options. Take Fowl, get lost and leave me to my business. Or – I doubt you'll like this one, boys – stay, and alert that big, protective Momma Bear we like to call Butler."

Holly smirked at the lack of reaction coming from the other side of the window, but a sense of bitterness twisted in her stomach. A short month ago, she would have been on the other side of the window, feeling nothing but irritation at her colleagues' silence before responding herself. It was difficult not to be delighted at the expense of the people who had locked her up for four weeks straight, but the very thought that she had been one of them, again only four weeks ago, made her want to vomit. There really was no wonder Artemis acted – nay, not acted – _was_ so high and mighty all the time.

One of the commandos finally responded. "We will find you, Mulch."

As Holly once again tried to think of who the voice could belong to, Mulch nodded, his face twisting into a somber frown of agreement. "You'll need to find me to watch me escape."

There was silence for a few seconds, and then Artemis' body disappeared. Holly guessed that they had covered him with a cam foil in order to carry him out. It was a long moment before Mulch sighed, heavily, deflating a bit and turning toward the bed.

Holly emerged, her movements as graceful as ever, but the small scowl marring her pretty features was a little different than how Mulch remembered it. "Mulch, why did you let them take him?" she demanded.

Mulch frowned. "So that he can be questioned," he mumbled. "It was Foaly's idea," he added, quickly, seeing the look on Holly's face.

"What's all this about batteries?" Holly asked, remembering what Mulch said earlier. She scowled. "Is Artemis planning something?"

Mulch suddenly thought that maybe this was why Holly looked a little different. It was odd to have her standing a few feet before him and being angry at someone else. "We don't know. All we know is that there are a bunch of goblins running around with old LEP gear, powered by human batteries. Foaly just wants to make sure Fowl isn't behind it all."

Holly's face twisted a little, as she considered the thought. "Goblins? That's not really Artemis' style."

Mulch watched her for a second. "No," he said, slowly. "His style is more along the lines of redheads with good aim and bad temper." When Holly glared at him, Mulch wished he had taken the last few words back. "Sorry," he whimpered. Warily, he looked at her and added, "But it's strange to see you telling me the LEP shouldn't have taken him and then trying to defend him."

Holly stopped short, glancing away. "I hadn't realized I was doing it," she said, quietly. When she turned back to Mulch, her expression looked pained. "Why did you bring me here, Mulch? Why did you and Foaly…"

Mulch shook his head, looking apologetic. "It was the only thing we could think of. In your condition… There wasn't anyone… We just…" He stopped trying, and wiped his brow before looking at Holly. "Butler promised us he would make sure you were okay." He glanced around the room, as if expecting the bodyguard to jump out at him out of nowhere. "Here's hoping he _never_ finds out about this. With any luck, the mud boy should be back in an hour or so…"

"Butler's loyalty lies with Artemis first," Holly interrupted. "And what do you think _he_ wants?" She turned away from Mulch and paced the length of the carpet, holding her forehead in her hand. "He doesn't let me think straight anymore. One second, I think I should hate the fairy world. The next, I know that's what he wants me to feel. But _then_…" Holly stopped and gulped. "I'm losing my mind."

"_Do_ you hate us?" Mulch asked, quietly. His heart almost stopped when Holly didn't reply straight away.

Holly didn't reply, either. She just turned to Mulch and looked him in the eye. "Have you ever just wanted…" She bit her lip, and smiled twistedly for half a second. "There's no other word for it, Mulch. Have you ever just wanted revenge?"

Mulch sighed, loudly. "Holly…" he said, his voice almost begging. He didn't like to see the elf like this. The girl before him was so different than the cadet who used to run after him along with Root.

Holly interrupted him, and her voice was clipped and angry, but quiet. "My powers, Mulch." When she turned to face him, her eyes were red. "I am a descendent of D'arvitting _Eros_, for Frond's sake. But I can't even… I can't…" She paused, steeling herself. "Mulch, I've lost the Gift of Tongues."

Mulch felt as if he'd collided face first into a sheet of bedrock. He actually choked, not knowing what to say, the only phrase he could manage to think was 'the higher they are, the harder they fall.' Holly had lost the Gift of Tongues. The thing about the Shorts was that it was rumoured their ancestry went back to the Gods; Lili Frond's connection to King Frond paled in comparison, but unlike the Fronds, the Shorts didn't exactly run around bragging about their bloodlines. It was strange to hear Holly admit it out loud, but when one thought about it, it seemed to suit her. Holly was the descendant of Eros, who was the son of the God of War and the Goddess of Love… Holly lost the Gift of Tongues. "This is insane."

Holly didn't answer. She was staring into space, seemingly lost in thought.

"Even _I_ kept the Gift of Tongues," Mulch muttered.

"What will Foaly do if it turns out Artemis isn't controlling the goblins?"

Mulch shrugged, getting whiplash from the sudden turn in conversation. "Mindwipe him and send him back here, I suppose."

Holly frowned, and then she straightened the slightest bit, her eyes narrowing. Mulch suddenly felt the urge to run, but before he could, Holly spoke. "No."

"_Don't_ mindwipe him?" Mulch asked, his voice almost reaching the tones of a whine. "But if he tells Butler - "

"I'll deal with Butler," Holly interrupted. She licked her lips. "After you interrogate him, send him back, memory intact."

Mulch tried to follow Holly's line of thought. "If Foaly lets Artemis go with his memory intact, he'll want pay back for kidnapping him," he extrapolated. He looked warily at Holly. "You're going to set Fowl on the LEP? On me?"

Holly shook her head. "No, Mulch, I'm thinking of another matter entirely," she said. She sighed, momentarily closing her eyes. "Get off the grounds, and call Foaly."

Mulch sighed, quietly, suddenly feeling forlorn. "I'm happy to you that you're…" he trailed off, unable to finish.

Holly smiled, and it was kind and gentle, but it did little to comfort the dwarf. "It'll be okay, Mulch. You and Foaly were right. I'm better off here, than on some street with no magic nor memories." She paused, and her smile this time was sincere enough to calm Mulch down a little. "Thank you. Tell Foaly I thanked him, too."

"Holly…" There was a note of objection in Mulch's voice.

"Mulch," Holly interrupted. "Go."

xXxXx

Artemis' eyes flew open. He jerked up into a sitting position, but quickly composed himself when his gaze landed on Foaly and Root. The look of alerted caution leaving him, he sighed too loudly and even went so far as to sit back against the chair he was in. "Gentlemen. What can I help you with?"

Root had only decided to think about raising a fist when Foaly's hand came down on his shoulder. It was gone as soon as it had appeared, but it had the desired effect. Root stopped thinking about hurting Artemis and mused, instead, that the pony had a stronger grip than he might let on.

"Julius, this next part isn't pretty. I'd wait outside," Foaly said, his eyes focused on Artemis.

Root opened his mouth, but then seemed to think about it. He turned around and stared hard at Foaly for a second. For a few seconds, there was a heavy silence, but then Root only frowned before heading towards the door. "Don't call me Julius," he muttered, slamming the door shut behind him.

Artemis tapped the arm of the chair with his finger. "So does he know about Holly?" he asked.

Foaly smirked momentarily, turning to the human. "He never told us he knows," he said, quirking a shoulder. Then he scowled. "How is she?"

Artemis, suddenly finding himself annoyed that they had interrupted Holly and himself right when she was about to open up a little – and not to mention the kidnapping – chose to be sadistic. "Alive," he allowed.

Foaly didn't react for a second, but then he lips twitched. "I know she's fine," he said.

"Then why ask?"

Foaly amended his statement. "I know that she's physically fine." He paused, trying to choose his next words carefully. "We sent her to you instead of just leaving her some street corner so that she might have a chance…" He trailed off, not knowing what to say.

Artemis nodded. "You sent her from the fire to the pan."

Foaly studied the human for a second. "But it's still a pan."

Artemis frowned, sitting up in his chair. "Tell me, Foaly, what else do you need? I have other things to do with my time."

Foaly's eyebrows shot up a little. "Why do you think we needed anything else?"

Artemis smirked. "If you need nothing else, there's no doubt I would have found myself waking up at home with no memory of any of _this_." He lazily gestured around them.

Foaly smiled, wryly. "Not absolutely no doubt," he said. "Maybe I just wanted to chat." He shrugged. "But I guess that's not the professional thing to do, so…" His voice changed, becoming deeper than it already was, each syllable resonating clearly. "It's time to say good - " Then, his cell phone rang.

xXxXx

It had been almost forty minutes since Mulch left, and Holly was beginning to get drowsy. She was lying in her bed, trying to read a book – in English, too – but she kept expecting to see that unmistakable haze against the sky again. The breakfast dishes were still on the table – apparently, Butler thought that she and Artemis were having a _long_ discussion.

Finally, when she closed her eyes for more than a half second, her senses flared and her eyes shot open.

Artemis appeared in the middle of the room, seemingly stepping out of thin air, until he shrugged a long sheet of cam foil off of his shoulders. He seemed tense, his face set in a neutral expression, his lips pressed in a small, obviously displeased frown.

Holly glanced out the window, but there was absolutely no sign of anyone or anything there. So, she shot off the bed and almost took a step toward Artemis, but something about the vibe he was giving off made her freeze. Holly gripped the side of her footboard, suddenly rethinking the plan she'd thrown together earlier. "Artemis?"

Artemis brought his gaze to her, as if he hadn't really realized she was in the room until she'd called him. Then, he took a step toward her. Then, another and another, until they were toe to toe.

Holly gulped, drily. "What happened?" she asked, suddenly wondering if Artemis had been behind the goblin mystery. That would throw her whole plan off course.

Artemis suddenly smiled. It was small and cold, and then his hand was on Holly's shoulder. "Get dressed," he said, simply. "You and I are going to Haven."

xXxXx

Gah, you hate me for cutting it off there, but I really need to get to bed. It's hard to balance writing fanfics and originals this month. NaNoWriMo people, add me as your friend. My username is Ink and Pixels, but with underscores on either side of the word 'and.'

Review, all. The next chapter will be longer to make up for this one and the last one, I swear. I'll get back to you this Friday or Saturday. Some things got postponed, so here's what'll happen next time:

- the Opal/Foaly/Caballine confrontation.

- Artemis and Holly are in Haven together and Haven… reacts. (Fairy A/Hers? Didn't think so.)

Luv,

Creatress


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer- All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

xXxXxXxXx

Author's Note:

I blame school, essays and writer's block. Mostly the third one. :S

Luv

Creatress

xXxXxXxXx

Persephone's Crown

Chapter 10 – Juggernauts

"Holly's lost the gift of tongues?" Foaly sounded disbelieving. He was alone in the Ops Booth, and today, its glass walls seemed a little too revealing. There was a steady stream of elves, pixies and sprites walked about the halls outside, and Foaly suddenly felt cut off from the rest of the world by the glass. The centaur shook the feeling off, blaming it on his recent meeting with Fowl, and concentrated on Mulch's response.

"She can only speak Gnommish," Mulch confirmed, from the surface. He had called Foaly earlier from outside the manor to tell him about Holly's wishes. After that, fearing the LEP was still around, he'd dug a tunnel from there to the most northern tip of the island before calling back.

Foaly thought for a second. "Can she still speak to animals?"

There was a long pause before Mulch answered, hesitantly. "I'm not sure."

Foaly ran a hand through his short, curly hair. "It looks like Ursula did a number on her," he muttered.

"That b… witch is crazy," Mulch said. "Did Fowl ask about her?"

Foaly actually smirked, settling into his specially designed chair. "Unfortunately, no." If there was one person he'd love to see go up again Artemis Fowl, it was the sorceress Ursula. Only one would probably die or be seriously maimed by the end, but both would suffer serious damage before the dust settled.

Before Mulch could respond, Foaly happened to look up to catch sight of someone through his glass walls. Caballine was easy to spot because she was a few heads taller than everyone else, given her centaurian genes. Her stride was quick and purposeful, and Foaly almost groaned out loud when she stopped outside his glass door.

Looking right at him through the glass, Caballine raised a fist and just about punched the door in her own version of a knock.

The Ops Booth was sound proof, so Foaly decided to talk slowly in order to let Caballine lip read. "Go-o-o," he said. "Ah – way."

"What?" Mulch asked, confused.

"Never mind, I'll talk to you later," Foaly said, glancing at his monitor and swiftly cutting the line. Even though Caballine was meters away from him on the other side of the door, he still felt wary about talking to wanted felons around her. Speaking of which, she only knocked at the door again.

Foaly finally opened the door to let her in, doubting that she'd do as he'd asked. It was normal for reporters to be infuriatingly persistent, but Caballine was in a league of her own.

Caballine came into the office, swiftly closing the door behind her. "Foaly," she finally greeted him, giving him a winning smile. She gave the room a brief scan, before walking over to a rather ugly looking brown couch in the corner and settling down. She then gave the deadpanned computer wizard a onceover before asking, "And why are you all dressed up today?"

Foaly shortly glanced down at himself before scowling. He usually only wore a casual shirt to work, even though the LEP required him to be dressed professionally. Foaly never obeyed the dress code, and the LEP never did anything besides ask him a tad more politely to listen to the rules. Because of today's important meeting, he'd indulged his bosses by throwing on a black blazer over a nice T-shirt. "Nothing you can write about," he said, pulling the blazer off and trying to ignore Caballine's pout.

Because Haven residents were so fearful of Fowl, Foaly had Root convince the Counsel that it was best to bring him in secretly and prevent the press from publishing anything about it. The LEP, and by extension, the Counsel, was already suffering from such bad publicity in the past few months that they'd agreed almost without discussion. It was almost scary how quickly that feat was accomplished.

"So did you come here to make small talk?" Foaly asked. He frowned when Caballine straightened.

Caballine's face grew serious, but there was a bit of an unexplainable spark in her brown eyes. "I jog," she said, simply.

Foaly nodded slowly, glancing down her body. Her sleeveless, figure-hugging blouse displayed her toned arms and slender frame. Her horse-like back was a glossy mahogany, almost as dark as her hair, and her legs looked healthy, as well. "It shows," he finally commented.

Caballine seemed to think for a second, and then gave Foaly a pointed look. "I'm one of those early morning joggers," she elaborated.

Foaly almost rolled his eyes. "Let me guess; you found a dead body," he said, absently. "You could have just called Police Plaza about that." He shook his head. "You early morning joggers and your dead bodies…"

Caballine laughed, shortly. "No, not a dead body," she said. "The other day, on my jog, I found something much more interesting."

Alarm bells wailed in Foaly's mind as he suddenly thought of exploding grass and soil. The centaur froze. Oh, no. _Please_, no –

"Yes."

"D'arvit."

xXxXxXx

"I can't go down to Haven," Holly insisted, for the seventh time that day. She kept up in step with Artemis, who was focused on the upcoming mission and on ignoring her. Holly was finding that getting Artemis to listen to her was like trying to hold back a train with her bare hands.

It was only after Butler had been informed to hike security and Juliet was told to keep Angeline busy that Artemis finally turned to face the fuming redhead. The genius then decided that Holly wasn't quite miffed _enough_ for the return to Haven. "In answer to all thirty-one of your questions and protests – that's right, Holly, I counted them – " Artemis said, his voice dripping with obvious patience. " – I thought I asked you to get ready?"

Holly took one second to glare furiously at him before she was forced to obey. This in itself only served to further enrage her. By the time she got to her room, she was practically shaking as much as the manor did when she slammed the door shut. It didn't make her feel any better when she realized that Artemis was probably right to ask her to change. The kapri pants and tank-top would probably get uncomfortable quickly near the earth's core, especially as both garments were made of darker colours. Also, she was only wearing thonged slippers.

Still scowling, she changed into a pair of jeans and a full-sleeved white top. She was just starting to pull on a pair of socks when there was a knock at the door. "What?!" she snapped.

There was a pause, and then Butler's voice carried through the door. "Holly? We have about five minutes before we leave," he said. He sounded formal, probably because she'd yelled at him, but there was also a note of gentleness in it that automatically made Holly feel bad. Butler had done nothing to her to deserve that.

"I'll be down soon," Holly only said, gulping a little. Feeling rather like a child who was spent from throwing a tantrum, she sulkily pulled on a pair of sneakers and left the room, pausing only for a millisecond to straighten her hair with her fingers.

Juliet was waiting for Holly at the end of the hallway and fell into step with her as they descended the stairs. "I was so right; that top totally brings out your tan," she commented. Catching the look Holly gave her, she added, "Artemis and Butler are waiting in the car out front. Mrs. F thinks you're all going on a hike for the day."

"Thanks," Holly said. Then, she paused and added, a little awkwardly, "And thanks for…" She gestured at herself, indicating the clothes.

Juliet suddenly grinned widely, making Holly realize that this was the first time she'd spoken to her since her return. "Good luck," she said, beaming before she sped off back to Angeline.

Butler was still holding the back door of the car open, and Artemis was half-leaning out of it, looking irritated. The manservant ushered Holly in, closing the door behind her before going to the driver's seat.

Butler had no idea what was happening, but he was tense. He was sure something happened, but as far as he could tell, a quiet breakfast had turned into an impromptu trip to Tara and Haven. There hadn't been enough time to check the security tapes to see if there had been something he'd missed and he hadn't heard from Mulch or Foaly either.

Butler glanced at them in the rearview mirror, and if it wouldn't have brought both of their wraths down on him, he would have shook his head and told them to play nice. Instead, he opted to just drive silently and let them work it out. They had the drive to Tara to start cooperating again, because after that, it would only be the two of them crossing over into the territory of a restless ally.

Artemis was well aware of the glacial silence between he and Holly, and he tried to focus by inhaling deeply. They had both simply put their belts on before Holly had turned to stare stubbornly out the window. This simply wouldn't do; it was time to undo the damage he'd done earlier in his haste. The mastermind took another deep breath through his nose, trying to prepare himself for what he was about to do. "Holly."

Holly didn't move to answer him, and even he hadn't made eye contact, she suddenly found herself wondering if the magic worked in the Bentley as well as the manor. She answered her own question by remembering that it had to be a 'dwelling' and Artemis was far from people who had to think of their vehicles as dwellings.

"Why can't you go down to Haven?"

Holly whipped around to face Artemis, scowling viciously. "I was _exiled_," she hissed.

Artemis didn't look perturbed. "Hm," he said, shortly. His gaze grew intense as he tried to stare down her glare. "Holly, there is an indescribable amount of freedom that comes with disobeying authority." He inwardly smirked when her right eyebrow twitched – so he was on the right path. "I've looked over your records, Holly." _Keep saying her name and choose your words carefully._ "You've broken the rules, and the _conventions_, many times because you _know_ that it serves a better purpose." Holly's arms uncrossed and her face relaxed. _Victory_.

"Do they know I'm coming?" Holly asked, coolly.

Artemis bit down a smile. "No, I thought it would be a pleasant surprise."

Holly frowned. "You want me to face them without my magic."

Artemis thought for a second. "Exactly whose idea was it to take away your magic?"

Holly shrugged. "The Counsel definitely finalized the idea," she said. "There are twenty-five members on it, but there's no telling who decided to let me win the blame game."

Before Holly could dwell on said 'blame game,' Artemis spoke. "So who actually took your magic away?"

Holly paused for a second. "There is a sorceress named Ursula who always performs the ritual. She's very secretive; there's not much known about her." Holly licked at her suddenly dry lips. "I suppose it was her."

Artemis watched Holly carefully. "Sorceress?" he asked.

Holly shrugged, turning back to him. "Extremely secretive."

"Holly," Artemis said, leaning toward her a little. "Would you like to go find her?"

Holly froze. "What?"

"Would you like to go back and find her?" Artemis repeated. When Holly leaned away from him a little, he almost reached out to catch her shoulder. "Holly, listen to me. _I_ brought an alcoholic fairy her magic back with a bit of water from Tara."

Holly's eyes widened. "When was this?" she demanded.

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Before I kidnapped you," he explained. "But more on that later, Holly. All it shows is that certain things are reversible." He watched as Holly shifted her gaze away from his eyes, her lower lip disappearing between her teeth as she started to think, wondering if she should dare to hope... "Holly, just because you have been exiled, it doesn't mean you need to live without your magic."

Holly's eyes snapped back to Artemis. "Why are you doing this?" she asked.

Artemis' lips curled into a wry smile. "Because as usual as you are without your powers," he said, his words sounding half sarcastic, even though he did mean them on some level. "You would be even more useful with them." He cocked his head to the side. "I mean, what if I get scratched?"

Holly pursed her lips, but said nothing.

Artemis glanced out the window and saw that they were nearing the halfway point. "Holly, you can either be one of two things." He waited until she turned back to him before continuing. There was more determination than caution in the way her jaw was set and her eyebrows were furrowed, but there was something else in her eyes… Artemis frowned, wondering, as he spoke. "You can either be the girl who lost her magic, got exiled and returned as an underling who is entirely dependent on her kidnapper."

Holly didn't scowl as Artemis had expected her to. Her tone seemed dispassionate when she asked him, "Or?"

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "_Or_… You can return as his equal partner."

Holly's voice was no longer void of emotion when she calmly told him, "You don't accept anyone as your equal."

Artemis smirked. "Then, _you_, Holly Short, can be the one who came the closest." He leaned back against his seat for a second, and caught a glimpse of Butler's eyes in the rearview mirror. They were focused on the road. Artemis turned a bit to see that Holly was still watching him, carefully. "It all depends on how you choose to behave." Artemis bit down a smile; the answer was already there in Holly's eyes. She just needed a little push, so he offered her hand, palm open and up.

xXxXx

Grub Kelp was waiting at Tara with the shuttle, trying not to burst into tears. He had been assigned to traffic duty at the commercial shuttle gates in Haven, when he'd received the bad news from Foaly. He remembered the conversation, reliving it in his mind, wondering what he had done to deserve such a fate.

"You want _me_ to bring Fowl down to Police Plaza?" the little elf had sputtered. "But – but – he's _dangerous_!"

There was a pause before Foaly had muttered, "Yes, I'm hoping that you'll crash the shuttle."

Grub had been confused. "You want me to crash your shuttle? But you always - "

"Just bring him down to the gates, Grub!" Foaly had snapped. Grub hadn't had a chance to wonder why the centaur was so on edge before he continued. "He won't hurt you. Just do whatever he says, but don't say _anything_ to him."

"Fine," Grub had sulked. He was already wondering how Mummy would react when he got exiled like Holly Short did. Surely his brother wouldn't let him go without a fight?

Grub's breath hitched when he saw, from his shielded position behind a tree, a black car smoothly speed up toward the hill, contrasting against the soft greens and blues of the environment like an ungodly metallic carnivore. He called Foaly through the communicator in his helmet, which was safely around his head. He (and a good number of the other officers) were sure not to make any of the mistakes that one Holly Short made, and this little assignment was Grub's ultimate test of that.

"What?!" Foaly snapped.

Wincing, Grub stammered, "He's here. Well, the cars here."

"Grub…" Foaly said, his voice low.

Grub inhaled loudly, his little body starting to shake. He couldn't find the voice to reply to Foaly.

"Grub!" Foaly said, again.

"Ehhh…"

"Grub, don't you _dare_ cry!" Foaly said this with such vicious, impatient force that Grub froze, his tremors coming to a stop.

"Okay," the elf muttered, meekly. "Foaly?"

"Yes?!"

Grub scowled, plaintively. "What's wrong with you today?" The centaur was usually impatient with him, but today he was completely nuts.

"Nothing, just bring Fowl down," Foaly said again. The line went dead.

When Grub looked up again, the car was nowhere in sight, but there were two figures walking toward through the cluster of trees near the road. One was small; almost the size of an average elf, and – this was what Grub noticed first – had the shape of a female. Grub was smart enough to know that wasn't normal in humans. The other, the taller was, had the shape of an average human boy.

Grub scrambled to call Foaly again, his heartbeat quickening in fear. He hated it when plans changed. The centaur had said Fowl would be alone. Turning away, Grub started to call but a voice stopped him.

"_Elf_!"

Grub froze and turned around, almost groaning out loud when he saw Fowl. And Fowl was looking right at him. _How did the boy know he was there?_ It was downright scary.

Fowl was walking up to him. "Unshield," he said, tersely. "I don't have time for these games."

Grub unshielded and took his helmet off, just in time for Fowl to watch his face freeze in shock. Because the little woman, who had just stepped into sight from behind Fowl, was unmistakably Holly Short.

For a second, no one moved. This would be the first fairy who saw them together, and this would only be a example of what the rest of the population of Haven would give them.

Artemis and Holly watched tensely as Grub blinked once. Then, blinked again. And then burst into tears.

xXxXxXx

A/N

Hey, everyone. I hope you enjoyed that. Exams are going to be starting up soon and I'm doing NaNoWriMo, so this'll probably be the last update until the end of November. I know, I'm devastated too.

Did you like that mirror thing I did with Foaly at the beginning? I was thinking of using that in my NaNo story as well, hmm…

Here's what I want in your reviews: Who do you really want to see in the next chapter meet Arty and Holly? And how would you like them to react?

Review !

Luv,

Creatress


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer- All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

xXxXxXxXx

Author's Note:

Ehh… Do people read these? Tell me in your review. Let's see how many of you actually reads the beginning A/N.

Luv

Creatress

xXxXxXxXx

Persephone's Crown

Chapter 11 – Uneasy Alliances

The shuttle's terminal was empty. It had been cleared of every last fairy, save for the specially trained LEP officers who were now stationed at strategic points around the building. Two cops stood ominously at each door, with four standing around the landing pad.

Foaly watched the scene with a strange calmness. Artemis Fowl would not be intimidated by these officers; if anything, the mastermind would probably be amused. The centaur knew that he _should_ be reacting, but all he could do was watch the screens with an alert coolness.

Finally, the pod landed, really rather unceremoniously – it could have been carrying anyone inside. A still, painful moment past by before the door slid open.

Grub stumbled out first, and rushed toward the officers. To his credit, all he did was get in line with the other four officers to form a group of five.

Artemis calmly stepped out of the pod, looking for all the world like he did it often. As Foaly had expected, he didn't appear impressed by his surroundings and only gave the LEP officials a cool onceover before half turning to look to the pod's opening. It was only after his new friend emerged that the mastermind showed the least bit of emotion – his lips twitching in a small smirk as the officers around them tensed.

xXxXx

Grub had joined his comrades, but felt little improvement in his mood. He liked to tell the story of how he brought down Butler (leaving out that he'd stood over the Mud Man for about half a second). He'd known that Fowl was the giant man's friend, and he'd wondered why for a while before some minor misdemeanor or another had diverted his attention. Now he realized that what Fowl lacked in muscle, he more than made up for with mind, money and power. All of his stories about facing Butler seemed to pale when he'd been confronted with the bodyguard's boss. He couldn't help but notice that two officers away, his brother's fist was twitching at his side.

Holly was expressionless as she stepped out into the terminal, giving the officers an almost dismissive glance, barely pausing to blink as three of the five officers pulled out their weapons and aimed. Grub stumblingly took his Neutrino out, as well. Even though Trouble's hand shook, he didn't reach for his weapon.

Trouble tried not to make it obvious that he was dumbfounded. Foaly had alerted him that something might not have gone to plan, but hadn't clarified further – because Grub hadn't clarified further. Even though he internally screamed at himself to stay calm, he couldn't help but stare at her as she gave her surroundings a once-over with a look that only she could pull off – she almost looked contemptuous, but a soldier would know she was sizing everything up, picking things apart carefully with an officer's eye. Suddenly, her eyes were on him. "You were exiled."

Trouble heard himself speak the words and almost reached out in an effort to grab them back. He snapped out of it when Holly's lips twitched. It wasn't quite the reaction he'd been expecting. He tensed, looking her over, wondering if she could be concealing a weapon. Her hair was a few inches longer, with heavy side bangs and locks covering up her ears. Other, than that she looked the same as ever – just like an undercover cop. He gulped. The Holly Short he'd known wasn't someone he'd want to tick off. Subconsciously, he raised his hand to his hip where he'd placed his Neutrino. "You should not be back in Haven. It is against the law."

Holly didn't react, but Fowl chuckled softly. Trouble's gaze whipped over to the genius, hot anger rushing through him. This was the boy who had played with and humiliated the LEP over the course of a day_. This was the boy who had ruined Holly's life_. Trouble turned back to Holly, his next words coming out as a bark. "Why are you with him?!"

Holly didn't answer, only cocking her head a little and regarding Fowl out of the corner of her eyes as he answered for her.

"Really, Major?" Fowl asked, lightly, raising an eyebrow. "Making futile comments and asking questions that are guaranteed to get you nowhere." He shook his head, almost disapprovingly. "And to think, you're in charge of the rest of these… _officers_."

Trouble's Neutrino was now in his hand and pointed at Fowl, who didn't even react to glance at the weapon. Holly was frowning slightly.

"_Major_!"

Trouble almost started at the sound of Foaly's voice.

"_Don't harm either of them. Butler will be waiting on the surface – Fowl's probably set a time limit for their return. What do you think will happen if they're late?!"_

Trouble scowled, but lowered his weapon, signaling with his other hand for the others to lower theirs too. Vaguely, he heard Ash Vein command "Lower your weapons!" to anyone who hadn't seen him. He eyed the pair. "What about Short?" He noticed the glint in Fowl's eye then.

"What _about_ Holly?" Fowl asked.

Trouble tensed, wondering if Fowl was pointedly trying to show the LEP that he was on a first-name basis with her now.

"She's now a non-magical species, just as I am," Fowl continued. He smirked. "Which means _you_ have no authority over her."

Trouble's eyes widened a fraction, but he didn't react, simply choosing to wait for Foaly.

The centaur sighed, attacking Trouble's ear with static for a few seconds. "_He's right. When fairies lose their powers, the LEP and the Counsel lose official control over them. There was discussion on adding a clause to fix that loophole, but the Counsel just figured that no exiled or non-magical fairy would try to come back anyway."_

Trouble almost smiled, before he remembered the situation. Holly _was_ known for making history.

Foaly was speaking again. "_Bring them to Police Plaza ASAP, and don't piss either of them off on the way."_

Trouble nodded, gulping several times. He didn't need Foaly to remind him of his orders.

xXxXx

After leaving Trouble, Foaly tried to contact the Commander. Root wasn't responding, and after several tries, Foaly gave up. He had just resolved to sit down and watch Fowl and Holly's vehicle speed to Police Plaza, when there was the sound of metal on glass, coming in two distinctive notes that resonated through his office.

Foaly slowly turned around, freezing for half a second when he saw Opal in the doorway. She had the gold rings on her right hand against the metal of the door. She was wearing a black wrap dress, and gold jewelry. The only bit of nonmetallic colour on her came from her dark red lipstick.

"Aren't you going to invite me inside?" Opal arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow, and the contemptuous-amused look on her face almost reminded Foaly of Fowl, from a few minutes ago.

Growing wary, Foaly smirked grimly at her, as he turned a little. "I have a feeling you'll come in anyway." He watched carefully as Opal stepped inside his office, glancing around and wrinkling her nose a little at the sofa Caballine had sat in a few short hours ago, as she walked up to him. "To what do I owe the pain of this visit?" he asked.

Opal stopped a foot away from him. She only came up to the middle of his chest, even with those ridiculously high heels. "Can't the head of LEP's most trusted armory provider drop in once in a while?" she asked. She looked past him to the screens. "Besides, today's a special occasion, is it not?"

Foaly glanced back and scowled. "You are _not_ here because Fowl and Holly are here."

Opal smiled sweetly. "Au contraire," she breathed.

Foaly raised an eyebrow. "And what business would you have with them?"

"None that concerns you," Opal answered, shortly. She glanced around, her nose crinkling again. "Truth be told, I'm surprised you have any sort of business here anymore. Your inability to come up with any _good_ surprises during the Fowl Siege was an embarrassment, and this _office_…"

Foaly narrowed his eyes, but then a thought struck him and he smirked. "This _office_… Is mine." He turned back to the monitors, trying to look casual, trying not to choke when he realized that Artemis and Holly were already in the building. Feeling Opal's eyes on him, he resisted the urge to frantically look for them. "It was rewarded to me right after I won the medal for - "

"_Don't_, Foaly," Opal snapped, a warning ringing in her tone. Apparently, Foaly didn't hear it.

"Did you ever congratulate me?" Foaly asked, smirking at the look on Opal's face.

"We both know I deserved it."

Foaly almost sputtered. "You tried to sabotage my project!" he exclaimed. "Many times. If I had a gram of gold for every night I woke up in the middle of night to find you in my room - "

Opal smirked. "Any creature with an iota of testosterone would have been pleased to find me in their room."

" – _with a wrench in hand_?!"

Opal actually smiled at the memory, silently agreeing.

Foaly was shaking his head. "Honestly, Opal, all that trouble you caused me then… You were always bothering me when I was trying to work, too…"

A thought struck Opal and she turned back to Foaly with her eyes glittering. She reached out to touch his forearm. "Don't tell me you didn't enjoy it at the time?" she asked, her tone in itself reminding him exactly _how_ she'd 'bothered' him.

Foaly had frozen, wondering what she was up to.

Opal opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted.

"Hello, Foaly."

Foaly glanced to the open doorway where Holly stood, but before he could react, Opal let go of Foaly's arm and stepped between them. The pixie walked up to Holly, her steps sure.

"Holly - I may call you that, may I not?" Opal asked. She hesitated a second under Holly's probing gaze, but managed to maintain her composure. Though the girl dressed like a teenaged mudman, she carried a certain air about her that made people want to stand up straighter when she looked to them. "I wanted to see you."

"Opal," Holly nodded. "You own Koboi Laboraties."

Opal turned back for a second to smirk at Foaly. "Yes," she said, turning back to face Holly. She nodded. "Yes, I am. I came here today, hoping to have a word with you."

Holly's eyebrows rose. "With me?" she asked. "I don't believe we've met before in person?"

Opal shook her head, and locks of her hair swayed about her shoulders and back, like Medusa's serpents. "No, we haven't. However, you caught my attention when you first became a cop in Recon - the first female ever to do so, correct?"

Holly didn't respond. There was no need to. Everyone in Haven knew her story.

Opal continued, clasping her hands in front of her stomach. "Then, I would have been proud if you had used a piece of my technology. After your... Episode... With Fowl, I had hoped to be able to see you while you'd been incarcerated." She smiled tightly when Holly raised an eyebrow. "I was, of course, told that would not be possible."

"Of course," Holly echoed, glancing at Foaly. The centaur didn't move; only watched the two females closely, making no move to disguise his eavesdropping.

"I just wanted to say," Opal sighed. She glanced at Holly with a kind of hesitation that any average individual might have mistaken for shyness. "The world of business is very different that the world of public safety. Yet, I know exactly how you feel." Opal paused a second and drew in a deep breath, locking eyes with the redhead. "It is near impossible to make it as a female in this world. You were unfairly judged."

Holly stared at Opal for a second, then the corner of her lip twitched. Though she graced the pixie with a smile, her face didn't soften. "Was I?"

Opal inhaled slowly. She almost reached out to touch Holly's shoulder, but thought better of it. "Yes. You were. Reports say that you exhibited symptoms of Stockholm Syndrome after they 'rescued' you." Opal moved around Holly, and stood in the doorway beside her. "Every single police report and news reporter tried to make it out to look like your fault. I never believed it for a second, and neither did you. If you ever need anything, you know where Koboi Laboraties is located. I do hope to see you again." Opal stood, looking almost awkward, right outside the OPs booth as she waited for Holly's response.

Holly's eyebrows rose a fraction, before she finally gave the pixie a neutral nod. Opal gave her a wide grin before turning on her heel and leaving. Holly watched her go for a second, weighing the pros and cons of going to the other female about anything. She wasn't here to make friends, but there was no doubt that Koboi could be useful.

She wasn't here to make friends, but there was still the important task of seeing to everyone who were already close to her. Holly closed the OPs booth doors with one fluid motion before turning to Foaly.

Suddenly a weight flew off her chest as Holly shot into Foaly's arms. She only came up to his waist, so he reached down to hug her, holding her tight for a long moment before she pulled away.

Foaly kept his hands on Holly's shoulders as he quickly looked her over, making her think that her old friend had a stronger grip than he let on. "Are you alright?"

Holly smirked. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't," she said, gently shrugging off Foaly's hands. She touched his forearm. "Thank you."

Foaly turned away to glance at his monitors, clearing his throat. "It was nothing."

"It was risky," Holly commented, as if she hadn't heard him. "I owe you so much. You, Mulch and Butler." She punched his arm lightly. "I suppose Mulch owes you as well, hmm? You set him free, too."

Foaly made a face. "I've resolved to do volunteer work on my weekends."

"Really?" Holly laughed.

Foaly's face fell. "Well, New Year's has passed, so I can't really hold myself to it random resolutions..." he rationalized. He trailed off and turned to Holly, frowning in concern. "How has he been treating you?"

Holly nodded, her lower lip momentarily disappearing between her teeth as she thought about her new landlord. "Well."

Foaly raised an eye-brow. "Well?" he echoed. "That's it?"

Holly sighed, a few strands of hair around her face moving against her breath. "Aside from the daily random... Challenges..." She shrugged. "He acts the way you expect him to act, my friend. Please don't worry. He doesn't torture me."

Foaly was suddenly scowling. "He wouldn't let me talk to you nor Butler," he informed her.

Holly didn't look as impressed by this information as Foaly had thought (and hoped) she'd be. "Artemis Fowl," she shrugged, looking neutral. "What did you think he would do?" She felt Foaly's gaze on her face and she turned to face him with a resolved expression. "I'll talk to him," she said.

Foaly looked uncertain. "You'll... _Talk_... To Fowl?"

Holly laughed, quietly, looking around the OPs Booth, trying to think back on times when she hadn't missed the place so much. She remembered the exact spot where she'd dump her equipment after a mission, or her favourite places to lounge around while Foaly showed her his newest toys for her. "Yes, I'll talk to him." She smirked, looking toward the monitors. "He can be flexible, I think - if approached correctly."

Foaly's face almost fell, but he stopped himself and turned to the monitors, trying to look absorbed with the fairies who were ambling about in the hallways. His mind was on the redhead a few feet away from him, as he tried to reconcile her with the girl from a mere couple of months ago. She was even more different than he'd expected her to be. He hadn't expected her to bounce on the balls of her feet at the sight of new weapons and go off into tirades about trivial matters, but he also had expected her to be so... Controlled. He glanced sideways at her, to see that she was still studying the monitors. "Holly?"

"Hm?"

"Are you..." Foaly trailed off. How to finish that question? What exactly did he want to know? 'Happy? Are you happy?' Was he sure he wanted to know? Before Foaly could decide, he detected movement. He looked to Holly just in time to see her whip around and walk out of his office, disappearing out of the doors before he had a chance to react.

Bewildered, Foaly turned to the screens, wondering what she had seen. He quickly realized that Fowl had just knocked on Root's door.

xXxXx

Artemis felt a tingling at the back of his neck, and two seconds later, Holly was at his side. He could feel the irritation emanating from her, but he was more aware of how nervous she felt. He glanced stealthily at her. The cool demeanor she'd held around Haven and Fowl Manor for the last few weeks was starting to develop a few cracks that she was obviously desperately trying to cover up.

Artemis wondered briefly if he should touch her shoulder – not to comfort her, but just to be touching her when Root opened the door. But in a rare moment of mercy, he decided to keep his hands to himself.

The Commander looked well enough when he opened the door. The only differences Holly noticed immediately were that there was no cigar between his lips and his face was not its usual scowling, red self. In any other situation, these two changes could have been seen as improvements. Root didn't even looked at Holly, and he only made eye contact with Artemis for the half second he needed to before he turned around. "Come in and sit down." His voice, though quieter, was still much the same.

Artemis led the way into Root's office, almost as if he owned it, before settling down in one of the chairs opposite to Root's own. Holly quietly sat down in an identical chair next to him. Root shut the door and walked around the desk to his big, pleather chair. "This is quite the surprise," he said, sitting down.

The note of admonishment in Root's voice almost made Holly smile. She missed him yelling at her.

Artemis glanced at Holly, read her expression and mentally shuffled his hand. "Commander, please," he said. "We've agreed to work together on our problems. Wouldn't you rather have Holly with me, with her memories intact than…" He waved his hand dismissively. "Well, I won't spell out the worst case scenarios for you." He frowned neutrally when Root turned to glare at him.

Holly kept her eyes fixed on the edge of Root's desk. She wanted to say something – _anything_. But the only thing she could think of was to comment idiotically on the weather – 'The weather's practically non-existent down here, hm?' She licked her lips. Her stomach was hurting.

"What are you going to do now?" Root asked thickly.

"What information do you have on Ursula?" Artemis asked, easily.

Root's eyebrows rose. "Ursula?" he asked, surprised. He glanced at Holly. "The Sorceress Ursula?"

Artemis pretend to think. "Or Ursula the Sorceress," he said. "Whichever."

Holly suddenly wanted to snap at Artemis for speaking to Root like that, for being so cutting. But she couldn't get her mouth to open and froze as she suddenly realized where she was sitting. She was sitting _beside_ Artemis, _facing_ Root. Another thought then hit her, and it almost made her laugh – she was referring to Artemis by his first name, and Root by his last. That wasn't right. That _couldn't_ be right. Her stomach flipped and cramped, constricting.

"Ursula lives somewhere on the coast of England," Root muttered, ignoring the sardonic tone of Artemis' voice. "We don't know where. Foaly comes close to finding her, but loses her again. She can only be summoned." He paused and turned to Holly, almost as if directing his next question at her. "What do you want with Ursula?"

Artemis responded, turning to Holly as well, wondering what had her so troubled. He had imagined her meeting with the Commander, but none of his ideas ever included her being silent. "Holly's powers," he said.

Root started. He'd forgotten Holly had lost her powers. He'd actually forgotten. When he'd gotten word that Holly had returned to Haven with Fowl, he'd felt like wanting to turn over his desk. He'd felt worse than angry – he'd felt anguished. He'd felt betrayed – why would Holly run off to the enemy who had ruined her life and cut her off from everyone who loved her? Why why why why why Could Leymus have been right? '_Short could have demanded that Fowl hand over all the gold and submit to a mindwipe before she cured his mother! But she didn't! It makes you wonder…_' Was Holly working against the LEP now? Against Haven? Why? Why would she have gone back to him? Why why why why why why Why else?

"Holly?" Root turned to stare at Holly, who was sitting on the other side of the desk, at the right hand of Haven's most feared enemy. But she looked no different than an undercover officer; she still looked like Holly, his captain. Suddenly, his anger vanished and was replaced by silent stillness. It was just as quiet in the office as he leaned toward her a little. "Holly?" he asked again, his voice hoarse.

Holly didn't look up at him. Artemis turned a little in his seat, wondering if anything was wrong with her. Fairies became physically ill if they walked into a house uninvited, and the thought had crossed his mind about what would happen if the same magic attacked her in Haven.

Root reached his hand out, laying it palm up on his desk. "I tried to stop them," he said quietly - beseechingly. "Holly?"

It took Holly a moment to realize that she'd shot up and out of Root's office, and that she was running blindly down a hallway. She hurled through a few doors; officers were jumping out of her way. She finally reached a less populous section of the building and stumbled through a final set of doors into a dark stairwell. Trying to catch her breath, she sunk onto the second last step and buried her face in her hands as she attempted to rearrange her thoughts to make sense.

It wasn't long before Holly heard the door creak open, and then creak shut again. She wasn't surprised to move her hands away her face to find Artemis staring down at her. He ran his hand through his hair before moving to sit down beside her. Holly almost laughed through her confusion. She wouldn't have thought he'd sit down on a dusty staircase in his suit.

"Care to explain what just happened?" Artemis asked.

Holly leaned away from him to rest her head against a metal bar in the banister. "My stomach was hurting… Then my head started hurting." She brought her feet up to the first staircase and wrapped her arms around her knees. "I just needed to get out of there. I'll be fine in a moment."

"I've no doubt you'll be fine in a moment. You're a fighter," Artemis acknowledged. "But Holly, this… partnership… Is never going to work unless you learn to talk to me." He paused for a moment, watching the back of her head. He couldn't see her face, and he resisted the urge to take her shoulder and turn her around. "Tell me what's wrong."

Holly tried to inhale. "When you kidnapped me… Or when you were planning it, or when you - " she broke off and gulped. "You never felt guilty about any of it, did you?"

Artemis answered without skipping a beat. "Never."

"How?"

Artemis fell silent for a second, one eyebrow furrowing. "How what, Holly?"

"How did you keep yourself from feeling bad about yourself? From doubting yourself?"

"I don't. I never second guess myself. Do you?"

Holly gulped. "It was so easy on the ride to Tara. I had it figured out - it was me against Haven. It was so easy to hate Haven. But now, Foaly and Root are making everything so difficult…"

"So you spare them and punish the rest."

Holly finally turned around to look at Artemis, who was staring ahead at the door. He smiled, wryly before turning to her. "Holly, it's perfectly fine to want retribution. To settle the scores, as it were." He shook his head. "I know you've probably been taught all your life to let it go, to turn the other cheek, but Holly, it's so much more… Satisfying… To get a sense of…" Artemis trailed off while he debated his word choice. "Closure."

"Closure?" Holly echoed, quietly. She laughed, short and sarcastic. "I don't know if… That is…"

"I'm not going to try to undo everything your family and friends have taught you all your life, Holly. To not want revenge. However, I will give you a testimonial – there's a much easier way to deal with everything."

Holly exhaled slowly, trying to untangle the knot that her stomach had built itself into. "Spare my friends, and punish the rest of Haven?"

Artemis nodded. "After our two missions are complete."

Holly stared at the closed door, thinking. "How?" she asked.

"However you want. It's all up to you."

Holly sat up a little and turned to look at Artemis as if she'd never seen him before. Her indecision, her faltering hesitation was easy to see in her wide eyes.

Artemis suddenly thought of the clay that he used to make models for projects. It would just be there before him, white and smooth and perfect before he got his hands on it, his fingers twisting it, flattening it, pulling at it, playing it into his ideal shape, molding it into something that he could use and enjoy. He ran his eyes over her face for a second, and he almost smiled. She was like a child, who was, for the first time, pondering whether or not she should steal the cookies from the cookie jar. An _angry_ child, who wanted to be bad, but didn't want to upset her parents by doing something they always taught her not to do. She didn't to listen to _them_ though… But she didn't know who else to listen to… So vulnerable, desperate to be guided, to be led. He wanted to bury his fingers into her hair, over her brain and tell her…

"Look at the door."

Holly started for a second, then turned to face the closed door they'd come in through. It looked heavy, made of dark, faded metal. It was dark in the stairwell, but the door wouldn't have shone if the area had been flooded with light.

Suddenly, Artemis hand was over Holly's right eye, almost making her jump. His hand was warm – it was almost shocking in the coolness of the stairwell. "What are you doing?" she asked. He was close enough that she could hear his breathing – slow and rhythmic.

"Did you know, Holly, that if you lose the ability to see in one of your eyes, you only lose one fifth of your vision?" Artemis asked. Without waiting for her to respond, he continued. "Do you still see the door?"

Holly's eyebrows furrowed, as she wondered what he was getting at. "I see it," she said, but then faltered as she decided to amend her answer. "I see a part of it. I don't see the doorknob anymore." She was suddenly aware that her stomach had settled down, and wondered why.

Artemis was quiet for a second. "Our vision, Holly – the way we see life, is created and shaped by those around us. Namely our family and friends. The problem with this is that, more often than not, your family and friends tend to share a similar set of beliefs and values… Especially here in Haven. So you only get _one_ view. One view doesn't give you the _whole_ view." Artemis' tone changed a little as his voice dropped to a murmur. It almost sounded as if he was talking to himself. "One fifth of something doesn't sound like much. But now you've no depth perception. Your peripheral vision has been cut – what if something attacks you from the right?" He paused for a second. "Holly, how will open that door?"

Artemis removed his hand from her eye and Holly blinked a few times. She couldn't bring herself to look at him. "What are you trying to tell me?" she asked softly.

"Everyone is built to seek pleasure and avoid pain," Artemis shrugged. He paused for a second. "But mostly to seek pleasure. And we'll risk pain if it brings us that pleasure," he muttered, getting up.

Holly suddenly felt lonely on the staircase without him, and she stared up at him, wondering if he was going to leave without giving her a clear answer.

Artemis stood at the door, his hand on the doorknob before he turned to face her. "I know you've been taught all your life to be _noble_ and _merciful_ and whatnot," he said. He didn't say the words contemptuously, but there was another note in his voice that made them sound… Insignificant. "I just want you to consider that other one fifth of your vision." He cocked his head a little, surveying her. "Will you, Holly?"

Holly didn't answer for a second. She was staring at the doorknob under his hand, wondering what or who was losing heat at the contact. "I will."

"Take some time to compose yourself. I'll be waiting outside."

"Okay."

After the door closed behind Artemis, Holly sat still for a few long minutes, watching the shadows of the stairwell. It was dark and cold, and reminded her of every cage she'd ever been in. The cell at Fowl Manor, the cell under Police Plaza. She'd never been able to open _those_ doors… She wanted to open _this_ door and go to Artemis. The darkness in the stairwell was further clouding her vision, blinding her other eye, too. She needed to leave soon. But there was a faint whispering at the back of her head, in a place that was still untouched by Artemis' hands and the shadows of the cells. Any world she'd follow Artemis into would be colder and darker than this stairwell.

xXxXx

A/n

Chappie took forever. My excuses? You can't HANDLE MY EXCUSES!

I'm still a little hyper because Canada won Hockey gold today. OUR game, America! You can dominate our TV channels, take over our radio stations and slowly repress our culture until this country is nothing more than your hat… BUT YOU WILL NEVER HAVE OUR GAME!

Tim Hortons kind of sucks, because I work there and my manager made me work well into the game. I kept getting news of penalties and scores from our beloved regulars and through text messaging. HOWEVER! Sidney Crosby – who scored in the last seconds of OT – started playing Tim Hortons Timbits hockey as a child. Like, his picture was on Tim Cards last year, remember? Tomorrow morning, Timmie's is going to go out and claim ownership of tonight's victory. Hehehe… So hyper. Perfect ending to the Olympics. Annnd tomorrow –

RRRRRRRRRROLL UP YOUR RIMS TO WIN, CANADA! MWAHAHA! It's the second most wonderful time of the year…

Okay, the purpose of that little speech was (originally) to tell you that I got a second job. Don't get excited for me – it's a telemarketing job. I'm just clinging to the silver lining that, since turnover is so high, it's easy to move up and make more money. … I'm always so rude to telemarketers myself. To quote KitsuneHeart in The Dead, The Broken and The Living, "Karma is a joke!" … And not a funny one.

What I need YOU guys to do in your reviews is convince me that writing fanfiction is as important as work, because I want to be a professional writer and this helps me hone my skills. Also, what did you think of the chapter?

Okay, this AN is as long as the fic…

GOLD IS POWER!! We have GOLD! All you Americans out there, enjoy your _silver_ HA!

REVIEW!

- Creatress : D


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer- All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

xXxXxXxXx

Author's Note:

Sorry for being late. Tried to make up for it, though… *shuffles*

Luv

Creatress

xXxXxXxXx

Dedicated to RuDoragon – Happy birthday, babe! Could not have gotten this chapter out without you.

Persephone's Crown

Chapter 12 – Psychopath

The day was starting to fade into shadows as the sun started to set. Butler leaned against the hood of the Bentley, keeping one careful eye on his surroundings and the other on the time. Artemis and Holly would be back in one hour. If not, he (along with a squadron of scientists, armed with rather large and advanced _shovels_) was going in after them.

In the stillness of Tara, Butler noticed immediately when a patch of grass seemed to vibrate only about twenty feet away from him. He barely had time to react before Mulch appeared on the spot, the patch of grass now reduced to a hole. The dwarf nonchalantly brushed himself off as Butler ran forward.

"Diggums!"

"Butler," Mulch said, stepping forward. "It's nice to see you again." He paused, looking thoughtful for a second. "Didn't think it would be quite so soon, though." He then raised an eyebrow at Butler's hand.

Butler put away the gun he'd subconsciously taken out when he'd sensed the movement. "Force of habit," he mumbled, almost sounding apologetic. Then, he frowned, thinking about what the dwarf had just said. "Neither did I. I haven't heard from Foaly at all these last two weeks."

Mulch stared at the bigger man for a second, wondering what strength really was more powerful – physical or mental? "Butler," he said, slowly. "Does Artemis monitor all of your conversations?"

Butler looked almost scandalized. "What? No, of course, not. He respects my privacy." Butler must have heard himself speak, because he frowned deeply and then scowled when he saw the corner of Mulch's lips quirk. "Don't dare, dwarf. How did _you_ find out about it?"

"Foaly," Mulch answer simply. "Your boss told him." He then scowled. "It seems that Artemis isn't keen on letting us communicate with you nor Holly."

Butler's eyebrow twitched a little, and he looked away from the other man. There were many things Artemis did that he did not approve of, but went along with. It always made him feel a little flame of guilt inside his gut; a flame of guilt that is always extinguished by his duty. But this made him feel sick, like throwing up, and he had to take a deep breath to calm himself down. "Why would he do that?"

Mulch snorted. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked. When Butler looked at him with raised eyebrows, he explained. "He's trying to isolate Holly. She's already acting as if she…" He trailed off as he thought about how Holly had spoken to him before, and the way she'd acted on the video feed Foaly had sent him from Haven. He saw how Butler's lips were pressed into a thin line and let his words hang in the air. He didn't need to explain the changes in Holly – Butler lived with her. Butler already knew.

A moment went by in silence, before Mulch muttered, "Think of what she would be like if she decided that her friends don't care about her enough to contact her."

"I know, Diggums," Butler sighed. He wiped his head with his whole right hand, and sighed. "I didn't…"

"Look," Mulch suddenly said, matter-of-factly. "Foaly says we can't risk contacting you with fairy technology anymore. You need to get a new cell phone."

xXxXx

Ursula did not look like the wicked witch of the east that Holly had been expecting to see. Apparently, Artemis was surprised as well – the teen's face had remained neutral when his gaze had fallen on the sorceress, but Holly had caught that slight tightening at the corner of his lips. However, her attention was soon diverted to the woman in the middle of the curtained Ops Booth.

Ursula was a tall, dark woman; dark enough that her skin shone a dark indigo where the light touched it. Her hair, black, streaked with grey and white, hung in thick dreads that reached her hips. Her eyes, bright and blue, narrowed when Artemis and Holly entered the room, but then her dark red lips stretched into a beguiling smile as her gaze shifted to focus on Artemis alone. "So…" She intoned, in a slightly accented voice. "You are the human that defeated the LEP."

Artemis smirked, and at the same time, Holly noticed something rather _alluring_ about this woman. She scowled, thinking that it was this _bitch_ who took her magic away from her.

On the other side of the room, so far succeeding in his endeavor to stay unnoticed, Foaly watched Holly as Holly watched Ursula.

Artemis must have noticed the danger signs in Holly's otherwise blank gaze. "Ursula," he said, a stern note in his voice. He nodded toward Holly. "You took Holly's magic."

Ursula looked over to Holly, and nodded. "You've changed since I last saw you, Miss Holly," she said, almost accusingly.

"Give me my powers back." Holly didn't flinch when Artemis and Foaly both turned to her sharply. Ursula only raised her eyebrows. Without looking, Holly threw open a door on one of Foaly's metal cupboards to reveal a set a weaponry, glistening and dangerous and yet to be legalized, set in their safety harnesses. If she knew Foaly, they were all fully charged and ready to go.

"Don't threaten her, Holly," Artemis said, lowly, almost sarcastically.

Foaly, already haven mentally shot himself for showing Holly where his newest technology was stored, crossed his front hooves and leaned against a monitor. "Saying please might work, too," he threw in, drily.

It probably wasn't the best thing to say, as all it did was remind Holly of Artemis forcing the word out of her, making her remember how little power she had –

Ursula cocked her head.

Holly suddenly remembered the end of that conversation. If there was still enough magic in her to make her to do that, then there was still magic in her.

"I can't _give_ you your magic back," Ursula said. She sighed and held her temple. "I didn't _take_ it."

Holly's eyebrows furrowed.

"Magic is complex – I can't cut it out of you like you cut your hair," Ursula said, eyeing Holly's locks. The witch shrugged, and conversationally added, "On that note, don't cut your hair." She threw up her hands a little, sighing almost exasperatedly. "Honestly, women go to great lengths for beauty. Those who are born with it, butcher it."

Holly got the impression that Ursula was trying to change the subject. "What did you mean?" she said, fixing her eyes on the witch. "My magic's not… _cut_ out of me?"

"A bit always remains," Ursula shrugged. "And it manifests itself in some way or another."

"Like healing powers," Artemis muttered. He was thinking back to the sprite he had manipulated into letting him borrow her book.

Holly glanced at Artemis, unsure of why he would say that. She knew how that bit of magic had presented itself in her, and she didn't like it.

Ursula was nodding. "Healing powers, the Mesmer, anything… It changes from fairy to fairy." She paused for a second, looking thoughtful, wondering how to explain it. "I myself don't take your powers away from you. There is magic; more powerful than you and I that is set out by the Book." Ursula's eyes suddenly flickered to Holly's bare neck, and the redhead narrowed her eyes a little, issuing a silent warning.

"What do you mean, 'it's set out by the Book?'" Artemis asked, apparently unaware of the exchange between the two women. "Is the spell you used written in there?"

Ursula shook her head, turning back to him. "It is hard to explain," she said, simply.

Artemis half her a little half-smile that almost charming. "Try me."

Ursula chuckled a little. "The Book outlines the beliefs and values that the Faerie world holds to be true. The magic that 'took' Holly's power, so to speak, is the power of these words – these beliefs." She inhaled a little, as if bracing herself, and her eyes flickered to Holly and the weaponry that was less than a foot from her. "Holly so violated these values, that the collective power of these beliefs is what was called forward to… _Punish_… Her."

Artemis was intrigued. He took a quick glance toward Holly, who would have looked as cold as ever to anyone to who didn't know her. But, Artemis noticed the slight clenching of her jaw and thought that she'd better contain herself. "And what was your role in all of this?" he asked Ursula.

Ursula didn't respond right away. "I… Gave this magic… _Direction_." She almost looked sorry that she couldn't explain it better. "The spell I use whenever the LEP so requires my service is an ancient one. There is nothing I can do to reverse it. If anyone understands it, they have not come forward." She turned to Holly. "I did not take your magic away from you. Your magic…" She trailed off, searching for the right word. "It just disappeared," she finished weakly.

She spoke to Ursula with a bit of an impatient edge to her quiet voice. "How do I get it back?"

For a second, there was something that looked like sympathy in Ursula's eyes. "I don't know."

xXxXxXxXxXx

"I must be going mad."

Holly, surprised at hearing Artemis utter such a thing about himself, turned away from Butler, who had stopped mid-stride. Those were the first words anyone had spoken since they'd left Tara. She followed his gaze into the foyer where Angeline was talking to a short, balding man, wearing a suit. As Artemis started walking toward the pair, Holly glanced at Butler, whose lips were pressed into a thin line. "Who's that?"

"Dr. Po." Butler rubbed his temple with his large hand, suddenly looking as if he had a headache. "He's the school psychologist. Angeline had allowed Artemis to take this semester off, so that they could 'recuperate' from the way her illness affected him. But, she still made him see Dr. Po every week for the last month, because she thought it might do him some good. I just remembered that Artemis missed his appointment this week."

Holly looked puzzled. "So he's making a house call?" she asked.

Butler shrugged, and looked to the man with an almost pitying look on his face. "You see, Holly, Artemis has had shrinks before. Six of them, in fact. And he… He…"

"He ate them?"

Butler started, and looked to Holly incredulously. "What? No."

Holly waved a hand, dismissively. "I can imagine what happened to them. So this Dr. Po is number seven?"

"Yes."

At that moment, Dr. Po looked around Angeline, past Artemis, right at Holly, who smiled innocently at him. "Lucky number seven," she said, wryly.

xXxXx

"Butler said you wanted to talk to me."

Artemis lazily gestured for her to come in, but didn't look up from the maps of the Arctic he had spread on his desk. "I'll just be a moment, Holly."

Holly closed the door behind her, and took a few steps into Artemis' room, looking around with a slightly intrigued expression. The room was… Impersonal. Holly's own room at Haven, along with the rest of her house, was filled with pictures and knickknacks that screamed of her personality and her life from the walls. Her things seemed mismatched and unified at the same time. Artemis' room, on the other hand, was bare of any personal touches. The colours were cold – black and green and blue. Not the emerald green of summer leaves, but the dark, forest green of shadowy woods or of conifers in the winter and not lapis lazuli blue, but the imperial blue of a dark, starless night sky. Holly shivered.

Artemis looked up for a second and graced her with a small, wry smirk.

Holly ambled over to the bookcase, wrinkling her nose a little at all the texts. Frond forbid that he had a guilty pleasure – was he all business all the time? "What did Dr. Po say?"

"He asked about you, of course," Artemis said, sounding absent-minded.

Holly didn't want to know how Artemis had responded. "What _exactly_ did he ask?"

"He asked who the pretty young lady was," Artemis responded, simply. "He wouldn't stop smiling idiotically. It was really rather annoying." He then chuckled, coldly. "I would love to have seen his expression if I'd told him the truth."

"So you told him the story then? What you told your mother?"

Artemis nodded, brushing a ruler off the map he was studying. "He spent the hour trying to figure out what our fight was about, and how it might have affected my relationship with my peers." He frowned, suddenly, seemingly intent on the gridlines before him. "It was amazing how much influence the fictional fight had on my nonexistent relationships."

A moment passed by in silence, with Artemis studying the maps and Holly studying his books.

"Artemis?" Her eyes stopped on a brown, worn spine.

"Yes?" He didn't look up.

"Earlier, when Ursula was talking about how some magic remains… Why did you say _healing powers_?" Holly suddenly felt Artemis' eyes on her and she turned around.

Artemis smiled darkly. "You really want to know?"

Holly suddenly felt her stomach flip. She nodded.

Artemis closed the Atlas he had been studying and leaned back in his chair. "Before I kidnapped you, I met another fairy."

Holly's eyebrows shot up. "There was… Another…?"

"No, Holly, I didn't kidnap _her_," Artemis said, waving his hand dismissively. He paused for a second, looking thoughtful. "I went around the world, looking for a magical creature, and I finally found her in Vietnam. She was an alcoholic." Artemis noticed when Holly crossed her arms over her chest. He smirked a little. "I gave her a bottle of brandy, laced with holy water."

Holly stiffened noticeably, her eyebrows furrowing. "You made her _drink_…"

"I didn't _make_ her drink anything," Artemis answered smoothly. He shrugged. "Her parents should have taught her not to accept brandy from strangers."

"What happened then?" Holly asked, a subtle note of aversion in her voice. Artemis wasn't entirely sure who or what it was directed at.

"I told her she'd just drank holy water and that I had the cure. If she'd lend me her copy of the Book, of course."

Holly's eyes suddenly widened with realization. "That's how you got it," she breathed.

Artemis nodded.

Something occurred to Holly and she looked at him, curiously. "You told her you had the cure to holy water?"

Artemis smirked. "Funny you should mention that, Holly. Because it wasn't just the cure to the holy water – it also cured and undid centuries' worth of alcoholism." Holly froze. Artemis nodded toward one of his bedside tables. "Bottom drawer, Holly. There's a small vial in the corner."

Holly kept her eyes on him as she walked to the table, before she finally turned to it as she opened the bottom drawer. There was a heavy-looking book with a blank cover on top of the table; she had a weird urge to open it and figure out its title. Feeling Artemis' gaze on her, she found the vial easily. It was three quarters filled with a clear liquid. She closed the drawer as she straightened and held the small, glass container up for Artemis to see. "What is it?"

Artemis didn't answer. He decided to be cruel. "Drink it," he said, simply.

Holly swallowed, dryly, her heart hammering in her chest. She took a deep breath, trying to keep calm. "Do you think it'll get my powers back?"

Artemis looked at her evenly and then quirked a shoulder. "It might, it might not," he said. "Either way, we won't know until you drink it."

"What _is_ it?"

Artemis didn't respond. Holly stared at him; Artemis held her gaze. They stood still for a moment; each trying to outlast the other in a battle of wills.

Suddenly, Holly uncorked the vial, not noticing Artemis raise an eyebrow. He hadn't thought she'd give in so easily. Holly tried to swallow the liquid in one gulp – and started choking. She coughed, her eyes tearing up and suddenly, Artemis was at her side, gripping her upper arm.

"Sit," he said, pushing her down on the edge of the edge. "Calm down."

Holly tried to calm down and breathe, but then stiffened when her vision suddenly blurred. She closed her eyes, raising her fingers to her temples, trying to steady the world, trying to keep from breathing so she could _start_ breathing – but even the darkness was hazy and blurred and distorted. _What did she just drink?_

"Holly?"

Artemis' voice – so cold, so distant, but maybe she could hear something that wasn't… She was imagining it – seemed to coax her to open her eyes. She remembered the first time she woke up in the manor, in the guest bedroom. She remembered waking up in the cell, too. It was so _dark_ – she couldn't tell _which_ cell it was.

"Holly!"

Holly opened her eyes to find Artemis looking down at her, with a look of curiousity and something that almost looked like concern. She had lain down against the pillows; her head felt heavy and she squinted before screwing her eyes shut. Artemis must have sensed what was wrong; the darkness behind her eyelids became even blacker and when she opened her eyes, she saw that Artemis had dimmed all the lights in his room. She thought of that night at Tara. Black and dark, dark green like the forest during a cold winter's night and an even darker blue like… Like…

Holly met Artemis' eyes. "What did I drink?" she whispered. Her voice sounded hoarse.

"Water," Artemis answered, looking her over. "From the springs of Tara."

Holly didn't feel as relieved as she thought she might have been. "So… You _did_ cure her?" she asked.

Artemis sat down at the edge of the bed and nodded, studying her carefully.

Holly shook her head. "Why didn't you just…"

"Let her die?" Artemis finished. "Too many people knew of her existence. They would have noticed a death."

Holly was suddenly cold and she was silent for a moment. "Argon said - " She swallowed and shut her eyes for a second as her vision swam and doubled for a second. "Argon said you only wanted to save your mother to keep the authorities off your back." When she opened her eyes, she saw that Artemis was staring off to the side. She couldn't tell what he was thinking. "Artemis?"

"Yes, Holly?" Artemis asked, turning back to her.

Artemis looked off to her – solid, but transparent around his shoulders and arms… As if he was a very opaque apparition. Holly stared at him for a second and voiced a question that had been on her mind for a while now. "Are you a psychopath?"

Artemis chuckled, softly. He gave her an undecipherable look before he actually reached to brush a hair away from her eyes. Her vision didn't improve. "Holly… If I were a psychopath, you'd be in a lot of trouble right now, wouldn't you?" He cocked his head a little and studied her. "The alcoholic also needed some time after ingesting the Tara water." He got up. "Go to sleep, Holly. I'll be here when you wake up."

xXxXxXx

A/n

There. As an apology for being late, I put her to sleep in Artemis' bed.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter because 1) Next set of summer courses don't start until June 24th. 2) it's already planned out in my head and 3) it's spooooky. Yeah. That's right. Also, I have a valid way to inject some A/H into it.

Hehe, it was fun writing this chapter – Arty's dark side was explored a bit, ne?

Review please – even if it's just to tell me how much I suck for being late.

Luv,

Creatress


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